UFC star and former title challenger Jorge Masvidal believes that fighters deserve a bigger margin on the pay-per-view shares sold at each event.
Despite coming up short in his venture against champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, Jorge Masvidal certainly generated a large amount of revenue for the event. When all was said and done, it was reported that Masvidal and Usman’s fight island pay-per-view hit big with over 1.3 million units sold.
In essence, “Gamebred” argues that the entire pay-per-view payment structure needs to change and fall in line with how boxing operates. Underlining the importance of negotiation, Masvidal explained that had he took the initial offering for their first championship encounter, that he would have left a lot of money on the table.
“I tell you what, if I had took that first original deal, off that 1.3 [million PPV buys], I would have got table scraps,” Jorge Masvidal said, speaking with Yahoo Sports. “It’s just not fair. I say this for me, not just for me but all my brothers and sisters that are like, ‘Oh I finally got to pay-per-view’… It’s not what you think.”
Jorge Masvidal Pushing For An Increase In Pay-Per-View Revenue
Due to the UFC taking a large portion of the pay-per-view revenue, Masvidal implies that boxers are making more money because they are receiving a bigger piece of the pie. In an effort to lobby for better pay for MMA athletes across the board, Masvidal believes that fighters deserve a bigger margin on the pay-per-view shares sold just like their boxing counterparts.
“The UFC have to open those doors, they have to start giving bigger margins to guys that are bringing in the pay-per-view,” Jorge Masvidal said. “The UFC always say, ‘Well look at an undercard boxer makes compared to our opening card guys’. Yeah, okay, got it. The opening card guy in the UFC makes a lot more than the boxer, but when you get to the top of the levels, versus boxing it’s a huge disparity. I don’t like it and I wasn’t going to stand for it.”
When it comes to bigger names, Masvidal doesn’t think he is being paid enough for what he brings to the table. In addition, “Gamebred” is advocating for increased athlete pay collectively, which is a noble campaign given that at times, it can be quite difficult to get the UFC to budge on fighter pay.
Masvidal is set to return for a rematch against the champion at UFC 261. Since the first fight did such big numbers, this without a doubt will be one of the top-selling events of the year.
Do you agree with Jorge Masvidal, should fighters receive a bigger margin on the pay-per-view units sold? Let us know below what you think!
