The Case Against TUF's "Six Figure Contract"

by Luke Thomas on Oct 1, 2008 10:44 AM EDT in News Comment 31 comments

The six-figure contract is nothing more than a slick piece of marketing; its original incarnation was as a nine-fight deal that required three full years of service to earn $300,000, assuming you could go undefeated over the course of the contract. Let’s also not forget the contract is not guaranteed, which means you’re always a couple of losses away from being shown the door.

Considering the value of your average “The Ultimate Fighter” winner to the UFC, it becomes rather obvious the promotion preys on the desperation of fighters who would practically sell their souls to get their foot in the door.

As the nature of the six-figure contract has become more publicized, however, many top prospects have come to realize that their future does not rely on allowing themselves to be manipulated into becoming cash cows on the cheap.

Perhaps the most notable example is Brandon Vera, who refused to sign on the dotted line when offered a spot on TUF because he felt the contract contestants must sign was simply unfair. You’d think the perpetually vindictive White would have made sure Vera got his comeuppance by joining the UFC’s blacklist, but a funny thing happened along the way to banishing the gifted light heavyweight. Knowing it could ill afford to lose a charismatic and talented prospect like Vera to another promotion, the UFC signed him. He made $200,000 in a unanimous decision win over Reese Andy in his seventh fight inside the Octagon in July. Even more staggering, Vera pocketed more in his last three fights -- he lost two of the three -- than a TUF winner would make even if the winner went undefeated over the entire life of his initial contract.

It makes more sense for blue-chip prospects to negotiate a three-fight UFC contract that pays them less than TUF winners initially but leaves the door open for future.

The good news is that the growth of the sport has also developed the machinery of business: managers and agents. While some regard them as a hinderance, the more rational among us agree they serve an extremely valuable purpose even when they over extend themselves. There should be a check on their power and services as well, but their essential role laid bare is critical. Fighters are almost universally unequipped to handle their management roles effectively and those whose sole job it is to protect their client while promoting their career are beyond necessary.

Now that there's real money and opportunity on the line, they are more important than ever. Let's see if the UFC can be arm twisted to make what now looks like an anachronistic contract a valuable piece of paper in the modern day of MMA.

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Sincerity

Part of the interest I find in the sport is that the large majority of these athletes are struggling to get by. Their lifestyle rides on every performance and a bad streak can leave you looking for a part time job. I respect them so much more than athletes in sports where everyone is overpaid and they still call strikes. It seems like you would have to love competing in MMA to do it.

by EazyEismydad on Oct 1, 2008 11:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately

not everyone happens to be a nationality and speak the language of a country that the UFC is trying to break into (Philipines). I have a feeling that played a larger role in him avoiding the blacklist than anything else.

by mythbuster on Oct 1, 2008 11:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The TUF Contrat

Frankly, I’m surprised that any skilled fighter with the confidence to win and get ahead would sign the TUF contract. If you do well enough in the smaller promotions you’ll get your chance in the UFC, with far fewer strings attached. And if you build a name in the UFC, you can either stay there or move to a promotion where your name may carry some weight.

Visit MMA Eruption!

by MMAEruption on Oct 1, 2008 11:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I'd TOTALLY turn down that contract

when other fighters are struggling to make 30k a year even when fighting five or six times. 100%, I’d say fuck that and stay with Jim Bob’s Backyard MMA Challenge.

The case ‘for’ these contracts? Before the show started, no one could ever imagine breaking into the UFC from obscurity for that kind of moolah.

by subo on Oct 1, 2008 11:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It makes sense for guys fighting on small shows like that, but it doesn’t for an established guy like Vera.

Da Blog

by Richard Wade on Oct 1, 2008 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the exposure and name recognition that comes with a TUF contract and potential to be fighting on a live, free TV show (on Spike) well outweighs the pay that may come from fighting on smaller shows.
Do people think that fighters like Koschech, Sanchez, Florian, Griffin, etc would have anywhere near the bargaining power they have with sponsors now than if they decided to skip TUF altogether and just worked on smaller shows first?

Why do guys like Soszynski who has already fought in big orgs like the IFL say “I’ve waited 5 years for this!” (regarding making the TUF show) if they felt bad about the potential terrible income they’ll make as a TUF alumni?

I think you’d have a difficult time finding any fighter that survived TUF and is still active in the UFC that is pissed off about wasted time participating in TUF.

by pr0cs on Oct 1, 2008 11:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think you’d have a difficult time finding any fighter that survived TUF and is still active in the UFC that is pissed off about wasted time participating in TUF.

I agree. Chris Leben is the perfect example, I think. If it wasn’t for his (losing) stint on TUF he would just be another gate keeper, but the show gave him a following, and he went with it.

by mythbuster on Oct 1, 2008 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lo

exactly. even more so,look how guys like scott smith ,bobby southworth, sam hoger and sam morgan have benefitted from being on that show. they are not even in the ufc anymore, yet are main event status for other orgs. (strikeforce,elite etc.) it pays to be on tuf for certain fighters, others not so much. the exposure is pricless for any up and comer imo, blue chip or not. clay guida wanted to be on the show but was turned down.

by bdw on Oct 1, 2008 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It all depends on the particular fighter’s situation.

If they come to you and say, “we want you to be on TUF,” maybe you’d be better off with a 3 fight contract, but if you’re somebody else, like Amir, it’s a shortcut to the big show.

Another thing to take into account is that we don’t know what “un-reported” salaries the guys get, and the extra money you’ll get from doing seminars and stuff as you are a “TUF champion.”

The other thing is that only 1 person gets the “6 figure contract” all the others get more reasonable contracts.

And that I haven’t really read any TUF winners complaining about the contract, they all seem to be doing fine.

by Phildo on Oct 1, 2008 12:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The non-winners usually get contracts that are equal in length, for less money, so I wouldn’t call that “more reasonable”.

Any extra income they make from seminars is earned, I don’t think that mitigates the low purse figures they are getting.

by smoogy on Oct 1, 2008 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But they get more for the seminars because of their name. You have to factor everything into the equation.

The big name poker players are finding it harder to win the big tournaments, but they are still raking in more cash than ever before because they are a lot more famous today than they were 10 years ago.

TUF makes you famous, being famous makes you more money.

by Phildo on Oct 1, 2008 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Call me crazy, but if I’m a fighter struggling to pay the bills, I’d prefer to be paid in money as opposed to potential fame. If the UFC is putting you in a position to be a star for them, they ought to be paying you like a star, and not in the form of opportunities

by smoogy on Oct 1, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You don’t get a contract based on your potential alone. Realize some of that potential and you get paid appropriately later on. This is the way it happens in professional sprts the vast majority of the time. Although I do agree, if you didn’t win TUF, those three year intro contracts could be rough. Who knows though nowadays, sponsorships could make for a big payday if you start winning.

by LiuLang on Oct 1, 2008 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

“Mayhem” Miller was offered a spot on “The Comeback” season, and he flat out said no, knowing that he could make a signifantly greater amount of money signing short-term deals with other organizations. It’s worked out for him as he planned thus far.

by dmayeda on Oct 1, 2008 1:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think this is a good thing, actually. I hate fighters like Mac Danzig being on TUF. I really wish all the fighters were like Amir Sadollah, guys who wouldn’t have a shot in hell at being in the UFC anytime soon if they hadn’t shown their mettle on TUF.

by Michaelthebox on Oct 1, 2008 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

When you get this you get the trolls whining that the TUF people don’t belong in the UFC.

Zuffa has something that works, they’ll never please anyone.

I still think the contract can’t be that bad when you take into account the other perks that would come with being the winner of TUF.

by Phildo on Oct 1, 2008 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What you’ve seen since the first season is a clear degradation in terms of the talent coming in because of the money situation. Whereas Season 1 featured most of the best prospects in the US, seasons 6 and 7 had paltry few decent fighters. As someone else said: for Amir, its been great. He made more for his pro debut than any fighter in the UFC since Pe De Pano. Probably even more. He needs time to be built and it looks like the UFC is gonna try and give him some breathing room. The downside is that by the time Amir is ready for a title shot or top 5 contendership, people may not remember him.

by D.Capitated on Oct 1, 2008 1:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The downside is that by the time Amir is ready for a title shot or top 5 contendership, people may not remember him.

Not sure about that. We remember all the previous winners, and many of the losers as well. And none of them, even first seasoners, came out of the TUF-womb a top five contender. The only possible exception is Matt Serra but, ya know, we’re being real.

by mythbuster on Oct 1, 2008 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They all needed seasoning to an extent, but like, Joe Stevenson and Amir Sadollah are in totally different situations career wise. Stevenson had already been in something like 30 pro fights. Sadollah has now been in just one. I think you have to expect more Amirs than Joe Stevensons. The one possible exception was Mac Danzig, and he was way, way better than everyone else on the show.

As for the previous winners and losers all being remembered, I don’t know about that. Does anyone really remember John Kolosci, Matt Arroyo, Dan Barrera, or J-Roc from Season 6? I barely do. I had to look up Kolosci and Barrera to even remember who they were. There’s also gonna be pressure for Amir to be competing at an accelerated rate. Corey Hill looks on paper to be a future contender, but he was pressed into service way too fast far over his head.

by D.Capitated on Oct 1, 2008 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As for the previous winners and losers all being remembered

I said all the previous winners, and many of the losers as well. Clearly we don’t remember all the losers, even from season 1 (Alex Shoenauer? Lodune Sincaid?).

But really my point was that, we don’t know. Maybe Amir goes on to win the title in six months, probably not. But no one imagined Forrest getting a title either when the show started. :)

by mythbuster on Oct 1, 2008 7:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

On another note, Sherdog “news articles” are fucking terrible sometimes. They try to pass themselves off as a legitimate news site, yet the piece reads like a rant as opposed to fact based, balanced reporting.

The article makes valid points and is a good subject to speak about, but I would think the average person reads that and thinks that Dana White ran over his puppy or something. Which may lead to doubting the legitimacy of what he’s saying.

by LiuLang on Oct 1, 2008 2:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They could do a better job of explicitly labeling them, but this is clearly not a news article. As someone recently hired by them solely to write opinion pieces I know they are trying to offer both. I would not take this as anything but an op-ed.

by Luke Thomas on Oct 1, 2008 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you’re working for them you really need to stress that point to them.

When running a news site (which sherdog is) that also publishes opinion based pieces, the opinion pieces really need to be labeled clearly.

It won’t help 100% because half of the jackasses in the forums over there don’t know the difference between a news article and a column, but it’s still something that should be done.

by Phildo on Oct 1, 2008 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can people really not seperate fact from opinion without some kind of label?

by smoogy on Oct 1, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Some people can't. And unfortunately sometimes there are a lot of them.

by pud333 on Oct 1, 2008 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, you guuys are really smart

Maybe I’ll figure out how to tell the difference some day. If you want to call yourself professional, be professional and put things were they belong. Fiveounces new format is a pretty good example of a good effort.

I don’t think anyone’s asking for instructions on matchbooks or anything, but some effort to separate yourself from the rest when you’re supposed to be the example would be nice.

by LiuLang on Oct 1, 2008 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, I guess that’s part of my point. It’s in the news section of the web site and there’s nothing to separate them. And while his opinion is obviously inserted into the piece, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not what some sites consider a news article. Sure I could look at what writers do what, but why is the onus on the reader to figure that out? It would take two seconds for a “Tomas Rios writes opinion articles for Sherdog.” Doesn’t really matter I suppose, I imagine it’s what most has come to expect from them.

by LiuLang on Oct 1, 2008 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sherdog is trash

I don’t mind anti UFC write ups whatsoever, believe me I don’t, but that is the staple of their pieces. Its so slanted why bother reading them unless you’re looking for something UFC negative. That site is on a steady decline which is a good thing. You hate the UFC…..we get it. Problem is they have gone so far that they are unreliable.

The only thing useful about sherdog is fight finder and I can’t remember the last time I learned anything from them.

I do however find this site balanced.

by banter on Oct 1, 2008 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Side Note

If you happen to be in London on October 20th, go ahead and try out for Season 9 of TUF.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/article1757102.ece

by mythbuster on Oct 1, 2008 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It is a pretty bad deal: massive amounts of press, exposure on national television, oppertunities to learn from Couture, Liddell, Hughes, Penn, Nog…this stuff is awful.

In all seriousness, it is pretty clear that the writer’s intent was to pick apart every aspect of the show.

It is curious that he suggests that recent shows have had subpar fighters. Take a look at the guys that came out of V: Joe Lauzon, Nate Diaz, Manny G, Matt Wiman, Gray Maynard, Cole Miller, Cory Hill, Andy Wa..nevermind.

Seasons 1,2 ,3 and 5 have all produced some outstanding fighters. It is too early to judge 6 or 7.

He suggests that there are not enough incentives, participants can win 10k per fight on the show. Find me an indy org that pays that much.

The series has it’s ups and downs, but this peice makes it sound like a total disaster.

by Lynchman on Oct 1, 2008 10:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If everything the article claims is so awful then why do the UFC and TUF get hundreds upon hundreds of people trying to make it on the show year in and year out?

Being on TUF is a life changing opportunity. Being on TUF has shown to not only provide steady pay but also favorable matchmaking. It has been no secret that most competitors out of TUF have been given favorable matchups to groom them into becoming superstars..

I find it highly unlikely that a lot of the former TUF guys who are now superstars are on the same contract as they originally received..

TUF has created a multitude of superstars and even the ones that were cut they still move on to the indie circuits with a built in fanbase off the show..

by MatteoFC on Oct 2, 2008 12:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs