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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC's new "Athlete Outfitting Policy" (AOP) is not going over all that well with a number of fighters on their roster. In the wake of the exact pay figures being revealed on Wednesday, several fighters expressed their frustration with the numbers they're seeing.
You are paid to fight end of.. Stop bitching about sponsorship @ufc
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) May 6, 2015
In addition to those reacting on Wednesday, there is one other fighter who had already expressed his displeasure with Reebok, to the point that UFC President Dana White actually addressed the issue.
Last Friday, Jury Tweeted the following:
Take advantage of people & no morals/values? YOU'RE TRASH.
Much love to the genuine people out there like @DeeZeeMfg. pic.twitter.com/GCp3QoK3GV
White acknowledged the issue on Wednesday, and said it's something he's hoping to smooth over as soon as possible.
"Before we did the deal with Reebok, [Jury] was talking to Reebok," White said (via MMAFighting.com). "We are going to make it right. We gotta fix it. So we're going to get together with Reebok, we're going to get together with Myles and we're going to fix it. But yeah, he can't go out trashing Reebok, but he did have a personal falling out with them. It did happen. I'm going to have to manage it and fix it."
Penick's Analysis: There's going to be some considerable unrest about this deal, which the UFC has already tried to soften by saying these are base numbers, and they'll be looking to add more for fighters in the future. How long that takes to implement, and just what that will mean is to be seen; but if it's a situation where they add another company or two to the mix and significantly improve the figures released today, fighters might be placated. Still, while the tenured tiers are infinitely better than paying based on rating, there's still obviously a significant issue for many in the middle rungs on the roster. Fighters currently in their prime won't be making what they'd like at their peak, and will have to remain on the roster for a long time to reach more significant paydays. And who's to say the UFC won't start cutting fighters earlier in their tenure to avoid paying them the higher-tiered amounts? We might have gotten an answer on the pay question with this deal, but it's leaving even more questions.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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