While Joe Rogan acknowledges the caliber of talent in promotions
like the Professional Fighters League and Bellator, he believes
they are wasting their time competing outside the UFC.
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While the UFC remains the largest MMA promotion in the world, the
PFL recently acquired Bellator and laid claim to industry co-leader
status by virtue of the newly-enhanced roster. However, Rogan
believes most promotions are still a long way from catching the UFC
when it comes to viewer interest.
“No disrespect to the other organizations, there’s very good
fighters in the other organizations, but I often feel like they’re
wasting their career,” he said
on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “Because I see these elite
fighters that are fighting in Bellator or PFL, and I’m like, ‘Hey,
guys, no one’s watching.’ I mean, some people are watching. You’re
getting a little bit of a fanbase. I don’t want to disrespect. But,
there’s a reality. There’s the XFL and there’s the CFL, then
there’s the f—ing NFL. And if you’re not in the f—ing NFL, are you
really playing football?”
Former UFC heavyweight Corey
Anderson, who moved to Bellator in 2020, responded to Rogan’s
comments, detailing the perks fighters enjoy in non-UFC promotions.
While Anderson did not contest Rogan’s points about the viewership,
he noted that a bigger purse is more important for some fighters
than stardom.
“Now yall know I LOVE my guy Joe!” Anderson wrote on Instagram.
“But as someone who spent [seven] years in the UFC and left at [No.
4] in the organization….. fans seeing me fight wasn’t enough to pay
bills or even begin to set my family up for a future. My wife and I
both had to have jobs to keep afloat in between fights until my
first fight in Bellator. I always say ‘I make more money in
Bellator,’ well my last fight ranked in the Top 5, and my purse
didn’t even make close to [six] figures… that’s 100K… after [seven]
years, 15 fights, 13 Top 15 opponents, and being ranked in the Top
10 within my first year. (My debut fight I made 16k). Hell, even to
go be on [Joe Rogan] podcast, I had scramble to find someone to
cover for me at work to go.”
“Yet my first fight in Bellator I made [five times] more and was
able to free my wife of a job and focus fully on my career as a
fighter for the first time ever.
“SOOOOO what good is it to have a fan base when I still have to
work everyday to afford life. Compared to having fewer fans,
financial freedom, and set your family up for life after
fighting?
“Yes I make that money [because] of my start in the UFC, but
there’s fighters like [A.J. McKee]
and [Patrick
Mix] that built that financial freedom in Bellator who may have
never gotten it in UFC and also has a fan base! Even [Michael
Chandler] and [Michael
Page].
“So if you want fans and stardom… yes, you have a better chance in
the UFC. But if you want to make money… test the field and go where
the money is.
“FAME DOESN’T PAY BILLS……..MONEY DOES!”