Hey Not the Face! 02: Comparing boxing and MMA pay

Welcome to Hey Not the Face!, the podcast that provides expert analysis on all aspects of combat sports finance with an intense focus on…

By: Stephie Haynes | 12 months ago
Hey Not the Face! 02: Comparing boxing and MMA pay
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Welcome to Hey Not the Face!, the podcast that provides expert analysis on all aspects of combat sports finance with an intense focus on fighter pay. Hey Not the Face! will also feature updates on both antitrust suits against the UFC, in-depth comparisons of boxing pay vs. MMA pay, thorough examinations of contracts and more. The show is hosted by John Nash and airs twice monthly. No permanent schedule has been worked out, but we’ll make sure to notify everyone via our various social media platforms. As always, we hope you enjoy listening.

June M. Williams

EPISODE 2

  • Who makes more, boxers or MMA fighters? Is it true that only the top boxers make any money and MMA has better paid undercards? Why is there such a difference between their pay?
  • To start off, how do we know what they make? How do we know what UFC and MMA fighters get paid?
  • What about boxers? How do we know what they get?
  • How does MMA vs boxing overall pay compare between the sports?
  • So why do boxers seem to make more at the lower levels?
  • Why do we see more MMA fighters making middle class purses (10k-100k) than boxers?
  • How much more are the top boxers making than MMA fighters? How many more boxers are making $1m purses than MMA fighters are?
  • What explains the difference?
  • What part do the sanctioning organizations play in there being more competition?
  • What part does the Ali Act play?
  • What part does antirust play?
  • Example of a negotiation and how all these come into play?

Remember, if you’re looking for us on SoundCloud or iTunes, we’re under the Bloody Elbow Presents name. Follow John’s Twitter account: John Nash. If you enjoy our shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels.

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About the author
Stephie Haynes
Stephie Haynes

Stephie Haynes has been covering MMA since 2005. She has also worked for MMA promotion Proelite and apparel brand TapouT. She hosted TapouT’s official radio show for four years before joining Bloody Elbow in 2012. She has interviewed everyone there is to interview in the fight game from from Dana White to Conor McGregor to Kimbo Slice, as well as mainstream TV, film and music stars including Norman Reedus, RZA and Anthony Bourdain. She has been producing the BE podcast network since 2017 and hosts four of its current shows.

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