“I Think Fighters Have Been Exploited for Years”- Former Democratic Candidate Slams UFC

Former 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang proposed a Universal Basic Income of $1,000 to all Americans. The amount is a safety net as they face a future of risk and potential unemployment. Over the recent months, unemployment has increased owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Though Yang withdrew from the race, but he has still been vocal at the empowerment of mixed martial artists. In a chat with Bloody Elbow’s Karim Zidan, Yang expressed that the UFC rips off its talent. 

Andrew Yang says the UFC rips fighters off

“I think fighters have been exploited for years and years. That exploitation becomes more apparent in this environment when the fighters aren’t able to compete and their entire livelihood has dried up.”

“I’m a numbers guy. In every other sport, athletes are receiving anywhere between 47-50% of the sport’s revenue. In the UFC, the estimates are that fighters are receiving anywhere between the 10-15% range. And that’s not surprising when you look at the payouts for fighters, or even if you look at a major PPV card. Those fighters are getting paid 25, 30, or 35,000 to fight. And these are fighters who are at the top of the industry. Meanwhile, these fighters generally only fight twice a year and have to pay coaches and many of the expenses.”

“You have a major sport with billions of dollars of value, where the athletes often can’t afford to fight full time. It is only because the UFC systematically squashed any effort for fighters to be treated the same way athletes are in other sports.”

Yang said if the people elected him to the Oval office he would work with Congress to introduce the Mohammed Ali Boxing Act to help MMA fighters. Mark Hunt has already said he is part of a team that will sue the UFC on the same issue. Is Yang on this team?

UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey too indicates that the pay structure in the UFC is not good, as it leaves fighters in the lurch if they couldn’t compete. She said in WWE everyone is treated as an employee. 

Can we see some changes in the company’s pay structure soon? Also, these comments raise questions over fighters being desperate to earn. Is this why they are showing up for UFC 249 amidst a pandemic?