The UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, has taken to his YouTube channel to explain why he has yet to sign the contract for an all-but-confirmed fight against TJ Dillashaw at UFC 279. The reason? There’s no “escalator” – that is, a pay bump to reward succcessive victories.
“There’s no fight until there’s ink on paper, and as of right now, my contract is exactly the same.
There has been no escalator in this fight. I’d like to think I played my part, did the right things, and even allowed myself to be the bad guy in the last outing with Petr Yan, and help play up the storyline.
So one would think that being a company man would actually help you in the long run. So I did my job.
Aljamain Sterling Won’t Sign UFC 279 Contract
As of right now, I’m training, hoping that we come to some type of agreement to give some type of pay bump which naturally happens in all the contracts.”
Sterling isn’t the first fighter to complain about his pay grade, and he won’t be the last. A fight against TJ Dillashaw seems to be what he wanted, as Sterling called Dillashaw out from the Octagon just moments after dispatching Petr Yan via decision. However, before he’s willing to set foot in the Octagon, the bantamweight champion needs to make sure he’s being fairly compensated.
Other fighters, like Tony Ferguson and heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, have made similar moves recently. Ngannou in particularly is in a long-standing contract feud with the UFC as he hopes to make more money for fighting and be allowed to box if given the opportunity. Aljamain Sterling’s demands are far less. A simple pay rise to take on the former bantamweight champion in TJ Dillashaw would be enough for him. Ultimately, it’s time for the “company man” to go into the Aljamain Sterling business.
“For me, I want to make sure we get the deal right before we just jump into another fight, because at the end of the day, I climbed through the ranks, I worked my ass off, and I played my position in terms of helping to promote the fights, which a lot of these guys don’t even do.
I’m here to be a company man, and at the same time, I want to look out for my best interests. There’s a fine line where there’s a balance where getting both of those done can happen.”
What do you think of Aljamain Sterling’s negotiation tactics? Let us know in the comments.
