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I don't want this to turn into a ugly Boxing vs MMA debate. Both sports are amazing. I was just wondering what the average fighter gets paid in each combat sport. Note that MMA and the UFC are totally different. The UFC only has a few hundred fighters in the company. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands of MMA fighters who do not belong in the UFC just like there are tens of thousand of Boxers who do not belong to Golden Boy or Top Rank. So please take UFC out of the equation. This is a question concerning the average fighter. So please don't compare the top guys in each sport. Also it is obvious that Boxing and MMA are the two most popular combat sports in the United States, which one is the third combat sport (pleaes don't say entertainment wrestling). Is it Kickboxing? How much does the average fighter get paid in that sport?
Also would you say they get paid fairly?
Also does the region and your background matter? For example, are you more likely to get paid more if you are a Black boxer in the East Coast or the South or a Mexican American in the Southwest because you are more likely to attract a largely fan base?
Please be polite and don't turn this into a Boxing vs MMA debate. I just want to know more about the current financial status that fighters go through in the United States, if your cultural background and region influence pay, if fighters should make a Union where they have bigger benefits etc.
Boxing overall gets the most money but only for the champions and top tier fighters. The discrepancy between what different boxers on the same card make is just insane though. You really won't make any money in boxing at the low or mid levels.
For a rough breakdown it usually looks something like this:
UFC - Championship fight, winner gets let's say 175-250k (with chance for up to 50k in bonus's)
- Co main event (depending on the fighter) 50-75k (with chance for up to 50k in bonus's)
- PPV Televised card 7k - 25k (with chance for up to 50k in bonus's)
Keep on mind many UFC fighters have a chance, when healthy, to repeat this pay structure 2-3 times a year in some cases. Also the more you win and gain bonus's the more your standard fight purse increases.
Boxing - Championship fight 30-75Million (this is for guys like Mayweather 45-70m and Pacquiao20-40m after pay per view buys)
- Co - Main event 10k-30k depending on rank and draw.
- The rest of the card are often fighting for exposure and because they need to. Sometimes making 5-10k for fight
MMA fighters even non ranked, be they in Belator, or UFC can make a living off of fighting a couple times a year. Boxing you're hungry with fighting for a few grand a fight, once or twice a year.
I am sure it is Boxing. I think the disparity of earnings between top mma fighters and everyone else is not greater than in Boxing because top boxers get so much more than the top mma fighters.
It is absolutely boxing. As MMA gains popularity, the gap is closing, but it's nowhere near "close" at this point, especially at the top levels as already mentioned.
Location: Sitting on a bar stool. Guinness in hand.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Biscuits
Boxing overall gets the most money but only for the champions and top tier fighters. The discrepancy between what different boxers on the same card make is just insane though. You really won't make any money in boxing at the low or mid levels.
For a rough breakdown it usually looks something like this:
UFC - Championship fight, winner gets let's say 175-250k (with chance for up to 50k in bonus's)
- Co main event (depending on the fighter) 50-75k (with chance for up to 50k in bonus's)
- PPV Televised card 7k - 25k (with chance for up to 50k in bonus's)
Keep on mind many UFC fighters have a chance, when healthy, to repeat this pay structure 2-3 times a year in some cases. Also the more you win and gain bonus's the more your standard fight purse increases.
Boxing - Championship fight 30-75Million (this is for guys like Mayweather 45-70m and Pacquiao20-40m after pay per view buys)
- Co - Main event 10k-30k depending on rank and draw.
- The rest of the card are often fighting for exposure and because they need to. Sometimes making 5-10k for fight
MMA fighters even non ranked, be they in Belator, or UFC can make a living off of fighting a couple times a year. Boxing you're hungry with fighting for a few grand a fight, once or twice a year.
Actually I said boxing at first. Then saw your post. Changed my mind. Kudos to you.
Olympic Wrestling Greco/Freestyle is a real sport, but not lucrative.
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