UFC veteran with 30 bouts in the promotion explains how 'if anybody is to blame for fighter pay, it's the fighters'
28/08/2024 16:59
The issue surrounding UFC fighter pay isn't something new to the global MMA conversation, but when it comes to how much money athletes are taking home after going to battle in the octagon, there are those who have a much stronger opinion than others.
Matt 'The Immortal' Brown is as close to the definition of an 'MMA veteran' as you can possibly be, with over 40 fights as a professional and 30 of those bouts coming in the UFC, which is exactly why his opinion on fighter pay is so interesting.
UFC veteran Matt Brown argues the fighters are partially to blame for low pay
Matt Brown has been a part of the UFC roster since 2008 and over the course of his iconic 30-fight career in the promotion, 'The Immortal' has fought a who's-who of combat sports icons.
To name just a few, Brown has faced the likes of Carlos Condit, Donald Cerrone, Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler, Johny Hendricks, and Stephen Thompson – so it's safe to say that when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of the UFC, Brown is as experienced as any.
Yet it might come as a surprise to hear Brown state that when it comes to the issue of fighter pay, a certain portion of the blame must go towards the men and women who are signing their names on the dotted lines of contracts.
"The one thing that we can't forget [is that] when we talk about the NFL or MLB, they have unions," Brown explained on this week's fascinating episode of The Fighter vs The Writer, before stating that "If anybody is to blame for fighter pay, it's the fighters and I'm one of them – at least formally.
"I never fought against the UFC about my pay, and you've seen on Instagram, Twitter, or in different interviews where fighters stick up for the UFC.
"I've never heard of a business in my life where the employees, if you want to call us employees or even sub-contractors, are saying like 'Yeah, I shouldn't be getting paid more, they're paying me a perfect amount of money' – that is so unbelievable to me."
Brown was quick to state that he'd always been happy with both his paycheck and the way he was treated by the promotion but noted that if he knew what he did now at the end of his legendary career, he might have stood up for himself more often in its fledgling years.
"Look, I've always been happy with how the UFC treated me, I like them and there's no hate against them at all but if I thought that sticking up for myself and fighting with them about pay would get me paid more; I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat.
"I only question if guys are saying that because we know the amount of power that they have," Brown continued, sharing why he believes fighters don't speak out publicly about their low pay.
"If you try fighting against them [the UFC], your chance of getting more pay gets diminished… You're just lowering your chance of getting more pay, so of course you publicly stick up for them even though something in the back of your head is saying 'Damn, this isn't really what I want.'"
'The Immortal' says that pay issues should be expected given the talent
Whilst those of us on the fringes of the MMA world can debate fighter pay all night long, Brown also argued that it's an unfair passing of judgment when the vast majority of professional fighters aren't knowledgeable enough about the issue to take a stand.
"If you chose fighting as your career, you decided that I'm going to put my life on the line in front of millions of people for money; there's something going on in your head, right? There's something not ticking properly."
The 43-year-old, who went 17-13 in the UFC, stated that if you decided that professional fighting was your career path of choice, you likely aren't well-versed in finances or company policy enough, at least to know when and where to stick up for yourself.
"To think that these types of people are going to be entrepreneurial and stick up for themselves, and be aware of social things, it's silly to think that's the way it's going to work.”
"There are some extremely intelligent fighters and extremely intelligent athletes, but for the most part, these aren't deep-thinking, philosophical people."
Whether you agree or disagree with Brown's opinion on the matter, it's safe to assume that the issue of fighter pay in the UFC is one that'll continue for countless years to come – the full episode can be found on Spotify.
