CBC News; Are fighter payouts fair?

There is a great news documentary about fighter payouts over at CBC.ca.

"Dana White turned the rag-tag sport of mixed martial arts fighting, North America's fastest-growing pro sport, into a billion-dollar industry. We ask why fighters who risk their lives in the ring are too frightened to speak out for health benefits and better pay."

It's an interesting and generally insightful piece for the most part. Should be worth your time to give it a watch.

Fighter pay, as a percent of profit, compared to the other major sports is much lower. This makes sense on a number of levels. The other major sports all have players unions. They all have unions because they have been around for decades and decades and thus have had the opportunity to grow and mature as organizations.

Would it be great if fighters get some type of pension and healthcare benefits? Most definitely. However, at this current stage in the game Dana White has a valid point. The sport has not yet proven to be able to weather economic downturns and simply withstand the test of time.

You could use a version of the law of diminishing returns to make an argument. Currently, the UFC is a cash cow but the UFC is still in it's infancy and needs to become sustainable before making a major change such as fighter health insurance.