Mark Coleman
There have been suggestions that UFC fighters don’t get the right pay but Hall of Famer Mark Coleman doesn’t believe so
Fighter pay in the UFC is a big talking point with many stars such as Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal not being entirely happy with the situation.
The UFC has grown from strength to strength under Dana White, the President. They now have big PPVs across the world and have a huge tie up with ESPN too. In fact, the UFC is broadcast in almost every continent and the global appeal of MMA has never been as high as it has been now.
The promotion is also valued at $7billion in 2021 but that still hasn’t translated into the fees that are seen in boxing.
Conor McGregor made double digits in millions when he lost to Floyd Mayweather, and that is normal for top fighters in the sport.
However, that isn’t the case for UFC fighters. Making more than $10million in a fight is almost unheard off, unless you are McGregor. White has come under a lot of flak for not giving the fighters a fair cut but former UFC star Mark Coleman actually supports White for all that he has done in the UFC.
“I respect Dana a lot,” he says. “He’s called me as dumbass plenty of times, but who hasn’t he called a dumbass? So, I don’t take it too personally. I think he’s done one hell of a job, and we’ve got to give him a lot of credit for where the sport is at today.
“Of course, everybody wants to be paid more. I think they’re probably going to have to pay more eventually, but right now everybody’s getting paid pretty damn good, I tell you that.”
Coleman added that things have improved since his days in the company and the UFC legend also has some interesting thoughts on cross promotional boxing.
While McGregor vs Mayweather was a huge cross promotion fight, that still felt like the real deal. In recent years, YouTubers like Jake and Logan Paul have taken up boxing and well, defeated stars such as Ben Askren.
Some have questioned the legitimacy of the results but Coleman certainly sees nothing wrong in all this.
“The big thing now is obviously celebrity boxing, and I think it’s great. It’s great for boxing. it’s great for the MMA fighters.
“Anybody doesn’t see it that way, well, that’s their choice, but I think the more opportunities the better.”
Coleman added how the Paul brothers come from his home state, Ohio, and understood that followers on social media counts for a lot more now and people want to see all of this.
Of course, the UFC Hall of Famer also had a ton of respect for the pair and all they had achieved so far:
“I respect the fact that they’re trying to be the best boxers they can be, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if we see both those guys switching into MMA because I know they both have a wrestling background.”
MMA has changed a lot since the early 2000s when it was more about brawling and not enough wrestling.
Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t the only one who brought up wrestling in MMA and now every top fighter has to know some wrestling, something that Coleman brought up too.
“Everybody has realised the importance of knowing how to wrestle,” he says.
“I know a lot of people got sick of seeing so much wrestling, but back then I said just give it some time, because as soon as everybody realises they have to learn how to wrestle, the score will change.
“And it really has, because everybody can stop a takedown now.”
However, Coleman also lauded how great the current crop of fighters are in their stand up game.
MMA keeps evolving and things will change again in the future. Coleman was one of the fighters responsible for creating the base of the UFC but things are changing at such a rapid pace that another aspect of the sport will become key to becoming the champion.