UFC: Joe Rogan sounds off on fighters’ wages – ‘I think they should get paid more’
- Speaking on his podcast with comedian Andrew Schulz, Joe Rogan says fighting ‘is a crazy way to make a living’
- Dana White and the UFC finds itself in pay disputes with a number of fighters including Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal
UFC commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan said he thinks fighters are undervalued, however understands the financial situation at hand.
“I think they should get paid more,” said Rogan while talking with American comedian Andrew Schulz. “It’s a crazy way to make a living, I think you should get the most amount of money you could possibly get. But, it’s also a business.”
“It gets to a situation where you get a guy like Jon Jones whose like, ‘I got a contract for light heavyweight, but what do you want to give me to fight Francis Ngannou? I want a lot of [expletive] money because that guy is terrifying’, and [the UFC] say you get what you are paid in your contract. And he’s like, ‘Well I’m not fighting then.’ And they go, ‘OK.’ And it’s one of those situations where I don’t know who is right and who is wrong. I don’t know how much money they would make for that.”
Rogan said he doesn’t discuss financial details with the UFC, however commented on Endeavor Group Holdings, formerly known as William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME), which is the company that bought the UFC in 2016.
“(The UFC are) the only people that are putting on any live sporting events,” Rogan said. “But they’re also part of a company in WME that’s hurting really, really bad. So there’s not a lot of money to throw around, to keep the doors open, to keep people employed, a lot of money is missing as all these shows got cancelled.”
The UFC has now held five cards since the global pandemic closed virtually every global sporting body (the German Bundesliga is now back playing without fans). The mixed martial arts company has hosted fights in Florida and at its Apex facility in Las Vegas, and White plans to host further events on “Fight Island”, which is reported to be located in Abu Dhabi.
Rogan said he understands the tough position the UFC is in, but also the fighters’ perspectives.
“When it comes to me as a human who likes fighting, I know how [expletive] dangerous that s*** is, you should get paid an incredibly generous amount of money to step into a cage fight for millions of people to see.”
