It looks as though the issue of fighter pay in MMA is once again becoming one of the many hot-topics in the sport these days.
After Wanderlei Silva openly complained about fighter compensation, his longtime rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson referenced the subject, outright claiming Dana White lied about what he was paid.
The latest on the long list of those who feel they are undercompensated is current UFC Featherweight Champion, and the number two ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, Jose Aldo.
The Nova Uniao made the following statement during a recent Combate interview.
“I ask for financial valorization not only for me, some other fighters should have too. We give a lot for the company. I’ve seen this happening in the past, athletes were highly valued, and the company was not that big. Today, the company is very large and athletes devalued.”
Aldo followed that up with this statement.
“If you’re fighting well, you are valued by the company. But you are fired if you lose three straight fights. It’s hard to talk about numbers. You can watch Wanderlei Silva and Dana White discussing numbers. I’m employed by them, I can see their side. But we’ll always seek for valorization. We aren’t monthly paid, that’s why we have to keep fighting. We always try give the best of us in training to go in the cage and have a good performance, thus giving millions for the company. We also want to have part of these millions.”
Aldo defends his UFC Featherweight Championship against Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 179, which takes place this Saturday, October 25, 2014 at the Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Make sure to join us here at MMANews.com for live results coverage of the event.
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