Joe Rogan has once again criticized the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s show-win system.
The longtime UFC commentator believes the promotion’s standard pay
structure leaves too much of a fighter’s earnings dependent on the
result, even when the outcome can be influenced by factors outside
the athlete’s control.
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Joe Rogan argues UFC fighters should receive larger guaranteed
purses instead of having significant pay tied to a win bonus
Under the UFC’s longtime payment model, fighters receive a
guaranteed purse for competing and typically double their pay in
victory, although individual contracts can vary significantly based
on status and tenure. Rogan has long criticized this system.
“That is the most bullsh*t part of the UFC, you get both your
paychecks [only if you win],” Rogan said on his podcast while
speaking to former bantamweight champ Aljamain
Sterling. “F*ck off. F*ck off with that. I hate it. That drives
me nuts.”
Rogan believes athletes should instead receive a larger guaranteed
purse without nearly half of their income being dependent on the
result. He argues that the win bonus doesn’t add any extra
incentive in a fight.
“It should be you get paid what you get paid,” Rogan added.
“There’s no one who’s fighting harder because you think you’re
going to get a win bonus. You’re fighting as hard as you possibly
can. At the highest level, you’re not incentivizing people to fight
harder; you’re just giving too much of their career, too much of
their future, too much of their actual ‘How are they going to feed
their family?’ to the whims of people that sometimes get it
wrong.”