The UFC has often faced a lot of flak for the way it pays its athletes compared to other leagues, such as the NFL, NBA, and MLB. The fighters in the UFC get an extremely small portion of the pie as compared to NFL and NBA athletes. This issue has been going on for a while. However, from time to time, some fighters highlight the extent of their financial struggles, which further puts pressure on Dana White and the UFC. The most recent example of the same was Tyson Pedro at UFC Fight Night 238.
Following his bout with the Brazilian Vitor Petrino in the post-fight press conference, Pedro announced that he was stepping away from the sport. When asked why he was doing so, Pedro pointed out two main reasons. He said,
“It has been on my mind a little bit lately, mainly just being away from my daughter… That is obviously my choice going over to New Zealand. I know that is where I am going to be the best mixed martial artist. You put in all the costs, put in the cost of my family. Probably just can’t do it anymore, with the deductions, and the loss of the fight tonight, we’re going to have to rob someone in the car park.”
Following his statement, a reporter asked Pedro if his retirement was mainly due to financial reasons. The 32-year-old stated that financial reasons were a part of it. However, the main reason was the fact that he had to spend 12 months of the last 24 away from his family in New Zealand. For him, it was not worth the effort anymore. Earlier in the co-main event of the UFC Fight Night 238, Petrino and Pedro put up an electric show. While both the stars displayed impeccable striking and grappling, the decision went in favor of the Brazilian.
However, he did leave the door open to fight in the local circuits in Australia. Although Pedro’s retirement from the UFC is sad, the profits don’t seem to be slowing down for Dana White & co.
The UFC juggernaut marches on
Up until 2021, fans and pundits alike had to speculate about the UFC’s financials. However, Endeavour, the UFC’s parent company, went public in 2021 because of which fans as well as the media now have access to the UFC’s financials.
In 2023, the world leader in MMA bought in a whopping $1.3 billion in revenue. This was a 13% increase from the previous year. Revenue from UFC live events rose 34% to a record $168 million, mostly due to increases in site fees and ticket sales.
The UFC staged 43 events that had a notable increase in viewership and many all-time highs in gate at the respective venues. This information was released just a week or so before Pedro opened up about his financial troubles. Needless to say, this further paints the UFC in a bad light after such stellar financial numbers.
