Vadim
Nemkov wants to be financially secure after hanging up his
gloves.
Nemkov (20-2, 1 NC) recently criticized fighter pay in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. The
Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion believes UFC
athletes receive too little of the promotion’s revenue and deserve
greater compensation for the risks to their health.
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PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov explains why UFC fighter
pay influenced his decision not to sign
Without naming anyone, Nemkov recalled seeing retired UFC fighters
at an event whose appearance suggested to him that they were
struggling financially. He said earning potential was a major
reason he didn’t sign with the UFC.
“The UFC is a huge money-making machine, so to speak,” Nemkov told
Ushatayka. “There are massive sums involved, and the fighters get
paid mere pennies. Those who put on the show, those who make the
fights happen, they should be earning much more because of the
heavy toll on their health. It’s very sad to look at fighters who
have ended their career, fought in the UFC, and then can’t find
their way and live very meager lives. Because I was having a fight
once, there were veterans of MMA; there were a lot of them and half
of them looked like regular blue-collar workers in worn-out shirts.
[That’s why I didn’t sign with the UFC] For the most part. I mean,
when you can, roughly speaking, earn twice as much here. If I fight
here once, there I would have to fight three times.”