One of the hottest topics in MMA right now has to do with fighter pay, especially after UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and BMF Champion Jorge Masvidal recently went public against the UFC’s practices.
Cub Swanson has been competing in the UFC for the past eight-plus years and he believes the promotion should give their fighters a 25% to 30% revenue share.
“I saw Masvidal speak up against the fighter pay that he’d like to get paid more, which, you know, everybody would,” Swanson said to MMA Junkie. “So all I really want to say on that is that, you know, in other professional sports there’s a big split, 50-50 roughly, depending on the sport and everything. And obviously they worked their way up to that, so I think if the UFC is profiting this much, I think we can come to terms on like a 25 percent, 30 percent and work our way up, and I think that’s beyond reasonable.”
Past reports have stated that the UFC gives the fighter an 18% revenue share, so Swanson’s numbers would move that share up to either 7% or %12.
Fighter unions have also been a hot topic in MMA and Swanson would like to see former UFC fighter Brian Stann lead a potential union.
“I’ve always said I thought Brian Stann was a perfect leader to represent the fighters,” Swanson said. “He was just a very moral person, and he would stop and go, ‘Hey, guy’s, that’s not right.’ And you’d think about it and go, hey, man, I think it’s the military, and truly I think the fighters need a group of people that represent them, they will negotiate on everyone’s behalf and just make sure that we’re set up for long term. That’s all.”
The UFC has not announced any plans to increase the revenue share that they currently give the fighters.
