UFC lightweight and former Bellator champ Michael Chandler is seriously enjoying himself in the UFC. He is playing the role of company man, praising the UFC’s pay structure amid a furore of other fighters blasting Dana White’s business practises. On the How U Livin J Piven podcast, Chandler repeated that he had no issue with how he gets paid in the UFC.
“I have been able to monetize things outside my fights. You always see guys on the microphone saying the UFC should pay more, or the media saying the UFC should pay more, and it’s never the guys who are out there having their own YouTube channel, getting roles in movies, building fitness and wellness lifestyle programs, selling merch, doing all of the different things that we can do as fighters because we’re independent contractors.
Chandler Praises Dana White, UFC Pay
I don’t have a problem with the ‘fighter pay argument,’ people think that we should make a lot more money because the UFC makes a ton of money on their shows.
Well the UFC has been at it since 1993. Dana White has had 10,000 sleepless nights when us fighters are just showing up to practise, going to bed, laying our head on the pillow and getting after it and getting paid a decent wage for what we do.”
Chandler went on to point out that fighters could use their increased public platform thanks to the UFC to earn some money, as the likes of Sean O’Malley and Paddy Pimblett have done with podcasts and merchandise.
“We can do whatever we want with our platform, with our name and likeness. I always think that there’s people on the lower rungs of society always throwing rocks at the people above them, when it takes the same amount of energy to reach up and grab the next rung to pull themselves up to get there.”
Chandler reportedly picked up around $400,000.00 for his UFC 268 fight, where he lost to Justin Gaethje via decision.
Chandler’s comments earned the ire of his old foe Will Brooks, who boasts back-to-back victories over Chandler back when the pair were fighting for Bellator. Brooks simply Tweeted: “I want to beat this dude’s ass again”.
What do you think of Michael Chandler’s take on the fighter pay issue? Should more fighters take their platform and monetize it rather than expecting the UFC to pay them more, or should the organization pay its fighters better considering the promotion’s colossal revenue? Let us know in the comments.
