Georges St-Pierre is without argument the greatest welterweight in UFC history and was one of it’s biggest stars. He also is one of it’s first athletes to land multiple high profile sponsorships was also one the highest paid athletes of his time.
St-Pierre recently joined the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and talked about fighter pay and how he believes fighters need to think more like businessmen when it comes to their compensation:
Georges St-Pierre dropped a bombshell on earlier this month when he revealed on The MMA Hour that he is in negotiations to return to the UFC. It was the first definitive indication from St-Pierre that the ex-UFC welterweight champion is ready to end his near three-year hiatus from mixed martial arts, however St-Pierre also cautioned that he was willing to let the process play out with his team in the negotiating room before committing to anything final.
“That’s how it should be done,” St-Pierre said on The MMA Hour. “That’s the problem with a lot of guys who complain they don’t get paid enough. It’s because they’re ready to sign anything. They got caught with their emotion and they sign anything. They’re going to fight for peanuts. You don’t want to do that. If you do that, you’ve penalized the other guys who want to get paid more.
“Why would they (the UFC) pay some guys more money if they can get another guy almost for free, you know what I mean? As partners, I think they should be more aware of this. It’s important.”
