Tim Kennedy disembowels business side of MMA
“My disenchantment has come from the business side of it: The officiating, the reffing, the sponsorship. Where the sport is now, its horrible, and tragic and pathetic.”
There have been seven events since the Reebok apparel sponsorship debuted. Reebok has deals of an unknown size with a number of top fighters including Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Paige VanZant, Johny Hendricks, Jacare Souza, and Anthony Pettis. However, the payout for the vast majority of fighters are public, and based on tenure in the UFC, Strikeforce, and the UFC.
0-5 fights: $2500
6-10 fights: $5,000
11-15 fights: $10,000
16-20 fights: $15,000
20+ fights: $20,000
Title challenger: $30,000
Title champion: $40,000
Based on this tier, the total payout for fighters can be calculated, less the unknown amount to the handful of Reebok signed fighters. In events with no Reebok signed fighters, the amount represents the full payment to fighters.
UFC 189: $235,000
TUF 21 Finale: $90,000
UFN 71: $137,500
UFN 72: $110,000
UFC on FOX 16: $212,500
UFC 190: $202,500
UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and did verbal equivalent of a special forces raid, on the business side of MMA generally, and the Reebok deal specifically.
The exchange was transcribed by UGer canofsticks.
Tim Kennedy: The love for the fighting is absolutely 100% is still there and always will be there. My indifference towards the sport has nothing to do with the sport…I will always be a mixed martial artist…my disenchantment has come from the business side of it: The officiating, the reffing, the sponsorship. Where the sport is now, its horrible, and tragic and pathetic.
Ariel Helwani: What do you mean by that?
TK: Glover just fought OSP, right? And the entire Reebok payout was 100 grand, or something?
AH: You mean what everyone made together?
TK: Yeah. Everyone. All. Every single athlete in the entire UFC card for that night. I made more in sponsorship money in Strikeforce than every single athlete on that card that night.
AH: In one fight?
TK: In one fight. Yeah, like me vs Rockhold, or me vs Jacare, or, hell, even my last fight me vs Pat Cummins, my last fight in Strikeforce, I made more than every single UFC athlete, including Glover who just fought for the UFC title against Jon Jones, cumulatively. And if that doesn’t blow your mind and doesn’t tell you what is wrong with this sport, then we have issues.