I wonder what percentage of the revenue NFL players receive from DVD sales. I know it's not a direct comparison, comparing ancillary revenues utilizing player personalities in a team sport to those involved in an individual sport, but I'm curious.

Obviously, fighters should get their piece of the pie when their likeness/name/image is used for merchandising by the company they are contractually obligated to. However, I suspect that very few, if any, of the fighters have contracts with language ensuring that they receive their fair share of the revenues. I would suggest that it would be due to either fighters signing with the company prior to the MMA boom, thus not realizing the potential for profit from ancillary revenues, or that fighters are so eager to be seen on the big stage that they all but sign away the rights to their first born just to get there.

It's a tough situation for the affected fighters.  Perhaps if the UFC had a better merchandising department, one that relied less heavily on DVD sales, then it would open the door for fighters to get their piece of the action. After all, more money for the company should mean more money for everyone in the company, shouldn't it?

I don't know a lot about this, but I know that the NFL players have a players' union. When a player gets, say, the cover of Madden in any given year, I'm sure they are getting paid individually for that likeness. And, since I'm a gaming nerd, I know that EA bought the exclusive rights to use NFL players in a game. The entity they struck the deal with regarding players' names and likenesses was the union. So, my guess is that they get paid individually, and the union negotiates those contracts.