Usually when a fighter gets a big win in the UFC, their first public sentiments follow one of two lines: “I’m ready to fight as soon as possible, so get me a new fight quick,” or “I can’t wait to go home, take some time off, relax and chill with my family.” UFC Ottawa’s Joanne Calderwood had a different take, however.
The strawweight fighter, fresh of a huge upset win over former title challenger Valerie Letourneau seems to have just one thing on her mind: I need to make some money.
She posted a picture of herself wearing a “Broke as Hell” hat shortly after her big win, along with a short message:
“Gutted I didn’t get the bonus tonight but I’m not afraid to go home work and save so I can get back to @tristargym asap and hopefully be back in the octagon soon #wheretheresawilltheresaway #brokeashell #11-1”
With talk of the Ali Act coming to MMA and a potential UFC sale valued at $4 billion, it seems that fighter pay is once again becoming a more public battleground. Donald Cerrone also took comments over his financial situation public after his UFC Ottawa win, saying “according to my pay, I don’t mean shit to the UFC.”
Outside of the Ottawa card, another woman fighter in the UFC has made her own, similar frustrations known. Sarah Moras recently took to Twitter to talk about why she hasn’t been fighting recently and potentially not any time soon:
@EnzoF40599gto got injured, and spent all my savings on my last camp so now i’m broke and injured and can’t even afford another camp yet
— sarah moras (@sarahcheesecake) June 5, 2016
@EnzoF40599gto well cuz i take 2 months off work so thats like 8 grand gone from not working, then getting someone to hold pads, is a grand
— sarah moras (@sarahcheesecake) June 5, 2016
@EnzoF40599gto then rent and everything that i gotta pay while i’m not working and buying food and everything…. it adds up
— sarah moras (@sarahcheesecake) June 5, 2016
i didnt mean anything by the ufc. i havent fought in a year, i should be fighting every 3-4 months & i wouldnt need a job but injuries suck
— sarah moras (@sarahcheesecake) June 10, 2016
@SmileyAcademy my training doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg my rent and groceries and bills does
— sarah moras (@sarahcheesecake) June 10, 2016
It’s no secret that the pay scale in MMA has never been a particularly deep one, and that fighting for a living isn’t the best way to pay the bills. Seasoned vets have become more vocal about the money they feel they’ve earned, and that kind of attitude may be trickling down to making everyone just that much more willing to talk about where they’re at right now. And at the bottom end of the UFC, it appears that MMA is still more of an investment than a return.
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