UFC fighter exits roster despite win after slamming promotion's sponsorship policy that he says robs him of money
UFC has long been at the center of fighter pay controversy. In a new incident, a light heavyweight contender has chosen to walk away from the promotion days after he criticized the company for its unfair sponsorship deals.
Tanner Boser clinched a unanimous decision win over Aleksa Camur at UFC on ESPN 50 earlier this month. According to a tweet from MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, the Canadian has now chosen to pursue free agency after he finished his contract at the event.
In an interview with James Lynch in the lead-up to the bout, 'The Bulldozer' blasted various sponsors of the organization for not paying the fighters. Talking about the system that he feels robs him of money, Boser said:
"I guess for sponsors, I have Venum, who actually gives me money. And not every f**k face company that puts their logo all over my sh*t that I don’t gain a single penny from. Like Crypto.com and all those other ones can go eat a f*****g d**k, and The Rock’s shoes can go f**k themselves too. So, thank you to Venum for actually paying me to wear their sh*t."
Catch Tanner Boser's comments below:
The Canadian fighter currently holds a record of 21-10-1. He is 2-3 in his last five bouts.
The UFC imposed a ban on private sponsorships back in 2015. Before the ban, fighters were allowed to sport emblems or logos of their individual sponsors on their fight gear.
When Chael Sonnen claimed UFC should've never allowed private sponsors
Chael Sonnen is one of the most polarizing figures in combat sports. When Sonnen fought in the UFC, private sponsorships were still a thing.
Although he benefited greatly from them, 'The American Gangster' believes the promotion should've never shown the fighters such "generosity." In a recent segment on his YouTube channel, the 46-year-old spoke in support of the ban on private sponsors, saying:
"When the UFC got big enough, they could finally clean this thing up. Like if there's anything that looked bad to the cameras, it was the fact that we weren't uniform... You would never watch the Patriots or the Dolphins or the Giants, or any other team [like that] you just wouldn't do that... So the generosity that never should've been given."
He added:
"Somebody else paid for everything, and you get to keep the sponsorships? That has simply never happened... So the generosity they never should've been shown. I'm so grateful for it, my life is different because of it. Truly it was a very kind thing to do [but] it never should've happened."
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (8:11):