How Hayder Hassan got ATT’s $200k donated to Wounded Warriors
Dan Lambert: “(Hayder Hassan) said, ‘It doesn’t matter who I fight, I’m winning this thing, and when I do, I want my share to go to the Wounded Warriors.”
In mixed martial arts Anderson Silva made Anderson Silva money. And GSP did too. Ronda Rousey makes Anderson Silva money. But entry level fighters in the UFC make $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win. In theory you fight three times a year, but in practice it’s twice. As half the fighters lose every fight, on average a starting fighter earns $30,000. Back out taxes, management, and training fees, and training expenses, and you can be an actual hundredaire.
And that is the UFC. Elsewhere it is less.
Hayder Hassan, 32, worked his way up through the minor leagues, from KOTC to RW to XFC to Strikeforce to CFA to near the very top of the heap with Titan FC. And then he landed on TUF 21 as a member of American Top Team. At stake was $200,000, to be divided among the team.
Hassan won the final fight on TUF 21 in spectacular style, winning the season for his team. And when it was over, that $200,000 did not go to the fighters, it did not go to the coaches, it went to the Wounded Warrior Project, just like Hayder wanted.
For a practicing Muslim to step up and say I want to show my appreciation for their sacrifice, I thought that was pretty cool, said ATT owner Dan Lambert to Steven Marrocco for MMAjunkie.
After the (coaches challenge) race, I went up to Hayder because his second fight was pretty tough and I wanted to see how his head was (for the fight against Luque). He said, ‘It doesn’t matter who I fight, I’m winning this thing, and when I do, I want my share to go to the Wounded Warriors.
I went to the other guys on the team, told them what he did, they all said, ‘F— it, let’s do it.’
Hayder Hassan fights Kamaru Usman at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on FOX Sports 1. There will be a total purse of $300,000 to be divided up.
The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, service and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following the events of September 11, 2001.