"Why can they not have sponsors on their gear?" - Ariel Helwani slams Endeavor CFO for comparing UFC with PGA, F1 and NASCAR, says WWE is the only fair parallel
Ariel Helwani has been one of the few MMA journalists to stand up against the UFC and advocate for increased fighter pay. In the latest effort to improve the situation, the Canadian-American now finds himself going after Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin, who recently defended the UFC's revenue share with their fighters.
Read the full statement by Jason Lublin, which was addressed by Ariel Helwani, below:
Since, thanks to the antitrust lawsuit, we know what the UFC's revenues ($48.3m) & fighter pay ($4.4m) was in 2005 we can apply that 21% and 26% CAGR to get a ballpark of what it is today. That would be approximately $1.02B in revenue & $178m - or 17.5% - for fighter pay today. https://t.co/E9Q94JpB6A
During an Endeavor earnings call on May 12, Lublin turned down the need for increased fighter pay because of the misguided comparison. The Endeavor CFO described how the UFC's revenue share should be compared to F1 and NASCAR instead of the MLB, NFL, and NBA because MMA is an individual sport.
Once Lublin's statement was published, the MMA world began to fire back about the holes in his comparison to F1 and NASCAR. Leading the charge was none other than Helwani. During an episode of The MMA Hour, the Canadian-American delivered a bold rant towards the Endeavor CFO by saying:
"...Let me ask you this. When a PGA star, an F1 star, a NASCAR star, and a tennis star, when they are competing, what are they wearing? Are they wearing a uniform? Or are they wearing stuff head to toe, hat, shirt, pants, shoes, gloves, whatever, that is sponsored? That they are making money off of. Because I can ensure you who ain't doing that, the UFC fighter."
Helwani continued his rant by asking this:
"So, if we're going to compare the UFC fighter, the individual athlete, to the individual athletes in those leagues and those sports, riddle me this, why can they not wear whatever they want? Why can they not have sponsors on their gear?"
As the issue of fighter pay continues to grow, the need for a solution is becoming undeniable. UFC fighters are still sitting at a 16%-20% revenue share with few opportunities for sponsorship money. Love him or hate him, Helwani is doing the right thing and deserves respect for his ongoing war on increased fighter pay.
Watch Ariel Helwani slam Jason Luplin for his comments on fighter pay below:
Ariel Helwani says the UFC fighters should be compared to WWE wrestlers
After destroying Lublin's statement, Helwani began to discuss possible comparisons for the UFC. Only one organization can compare to the strict no-sponsorship rules while maintaining the individuality of the sport. During the same episode of The MMA Hour, the Canadian-American journalist had this to say:
"You know who they should be compared to? WWE wrestlers. That's who they should be compared to. That's the closest comparison. They don't have collective bargaining, they can't wear sponsors, they are pretty limited to what they can do inside the ring or cage. That's the closest comparison."
The fighter pay issue needs to change quickly. At the very least, individual sponsorships would change everything, but surely the UFC has too many contractual obligations to fulfill that. If the UFC ever wants MMA to become superior to boxing, the best fighters in the world can't be underpaid.
Watch a previous rant by Ariel Helwani on fighter pay below:
Ariel Helwani on fighter pay and Tony Ferguson's comments from today's Media Day.
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