Would you pay fighters directly rather than the UFC?

[elwani]

Serious question. I see a lot of people say that they purchase PPVs because they want to support the fighters. I like the sentiment but 90% of every dollar you spend this way goes to Dana and WME rather than the fighters.

The question is, suppose for every card there was a way to support the fighters directly. You can contribute however much you want, even just a dollar or two, and you're sure that all of it goes to the fighter. Would you do it? Or does it feel too much like charity to you (it's not since the fighters are providing a service)?

 

[KarateYeah]

No

 

[Wardu1]

Yes cut out the middle man.

 

[Dat Boi]

Is there anything now stopping fighters from setting up a Petreon or similar like account to fund their fight camps etc?

 

[TheAmericanGazelle]

How about actually paying for the UFC material that you consume instead of streaming and pretending like you aren’t doing it for selfish reasons?

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

It's obvious at this point that fighters need Patreons

 

[BigTruck]

Why not a pay by fight option where 50%-90% of the money goes to the fighters? So instead of paying $60 for 5 fights I can pay $15 per one i want to see.

 

[Loiosh]

Is there anything now stopping fighters from setting up a Petreon or similar like account to fund their fight camps etc?

Honestly, they should do this.

I have no problem with fighter pay, but I can't see why they shouldn't have Patreon accounts. Entertainers have hustled for additional income since the dawn of time.

 

[Ornife]

I buy PPVs to support Dana White. Importing snow to your Las Vegas mansion isn't cheap, guys.

 

[elwani]

Is there anything now stopping fighters from setting up a Petreon or similar like account to fund their fight camps etc?

Yes and no. Technically no. But it's like if a single fighter does it, it feels kind of like they're asking for a handout, and it would be a lot of work for them to publicize it, which also probably feels degrading.

But I feel like if it was organized, on a per card basis for example, and the principle was clearly annunciated that this is not charity, this is just the customers choosing to pay the people who are doing most of the work directly rather having 9/10 of their money go to the middleman (Dana and WME), it would work a lot better.

 

[markg171]

No, this is just like tipping. It's not my responsibility to cover a business owner's employees wages.

(Yes I tip before the tipping people inevitably freakout, the essentially mandatory premise itself is dumb though)

 

[Dat Boi]

Yes and no. Technically no. But it's like if a single fighter does it, it feels kind of like they're asking for a handout, and it would be a lot of work for them to publicize it, which also probably feels degrading.

But I feel like if it was organized, on a per card basis for example, and the principle was clearly annunciated that this is not charity, this is just the customers paying the people who are doing most of the work directly rather than Dana and the UFC, it would work a lot better.

I agree, and let’s face it, there are a lot of people who don’t like the idea of promoting themselves in the current system, let alone adding a Patreon etc..
There are some who have learned to seek other avenues, Sean O’Malley comes to mind, and in his situation it was DJ who more or less showed him the ropes via a Twitch account. This is of course the exception and not the rule.
Does the UFC seem like the kind of promotion to embrace what you describe? I’m not feeling good about that possibility.

 

[markg171]

Is there anything now stopping fighters from setting up a Petreon or similar like account to fund their fight camps etc?

The fact that 98% of them are morons without a sense of self-promotional bone in their body

 

[elwani]

How about actually paying for the UFC material that you consume instead of streaming and pretending like you aren’t doing it for selfish reasons?

No one is saying you can't also pay for the PPV.

 

[elwani]

Why not a pay by fight option where 50%-90% of the money goes to the fighters? So instead of paying $60 for 5 fights I can pay $15 per one i want to see.

Whatever way you can think of to repackage the fights for sale, I can guarantee you Dana and WME are not going to give 50%-90% to the fighters voluntarily.

 

[elwani]

Does the UFC seem like the kind of promotion to embrace what you describe? I’m not feeling good about that possibility.

Well that's just the thing, why does the UFC have to embrace it? Frankly there's nothing the UFC can do to stop it.

The only impediment would be the technical work involved to build such a platform, a platform that allows users to verify that every dollar goes to the fighters, and organize fighters around it.

 

[TheAmericanGazelle]

No one is saying you can't also pay for the PPV.

I understand that.

You do understand that the UFC brand, infrastructure, and marketing has meaningful value though, right?

Moreover, in what area of life/industry do you apply this logic?

 

[kibz]

GoFundFC

 

[Dirge]

Odd question to ask on Sherdog as 90% of members stream PPV events illegally (And most of them brag about it)...

 

[elwani]

I understand that.

You do understand that the UFC brand, infrastructure, and marketing has meaningful value though, right?

Moreover, in what area of life/industry do you apply this logic?

Yes, I agree that infrastructure, marketing, etc. has value, but 90% of the value? In the NFL players are guaranteed 47% of the revenue, NBA 49-51%, NHL 50%. What I take exception to is Dana and WME screwing the fighters so bad.