Ex-UFC star Jorge Masvidal and Jake Paul discuss fighter pay, what will make it change - "You just can't pay the guys"
Fighter pay is a touchy subject in the UFC that is an ongoing discussion amongst the fan base, and now Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal have weighed in on the situation. The promotion is often scrutinized for not looking after their athletes enough but 'Gamebred' has stated why that isn't a realistic possibility.
The two huge personalities have had a strange relationship over the years but have seemingly patched it up in recent times. Initially, the MMA veteran helped the YouTube star train for his fight against Ben Askren but a war of words ensued between the two further down the line, though that looks to be behind them.
While speaking in a recent video, both Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal delved into the problems with fighter pay in MMA. The former UFC standout claims, while he advocates for competitors earning more, he understands why that isn't the case.
"I know Dana's running a business and he's a great businessman so can he give out the cheques that we want as fighters? That's like a business decision," said Masvidal. "[I've advocated for] more money for the fighters because it's a fu**ing tough job. You shouldn't be in the top 10 having to fu**ing work at Walmart or something."
Masvidal added:
"[Compared to boxing] UFC pays guys at the beginning great... [But] in the beginning, you just can't pay the guys too much because you don't know who's worth that."
Jake later shared his views on the situation.
"My problem and I think a lot of people's problem comes from when the company is now valued at $10 billion and fighters are only getting 12, 13, 14, 15% of that and 5% of that is Conor McGregor... Just pay fighters more and maybe cover the health care."
Check out both of the popular star's views in the videos below.
Who has been affected by Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal's aforementioned fighter pay issues?
The UFC is the pinnacle of mixed martial arts but it doesn't come without problems, as mentioned by Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal.
Many contenders fighting inside the octagon have had an issue with how they are paid. While everyone will, of course, push to earn more money, some are treated painfully unfairly.
One huge example is Paulo Costa. Despite competing for a UFC middleweight title and continuing to put on great fights and remaining high in the rankings, it was only recently the Brazilian was fighting on a 60k show, 60k win contract.