To Ensure the Longevity of MMA, Fighters and Promoters Must Work Together
Support the sport.
Wow, I haven't heard this phrase in years, seven years to be exact, around about the same time that the nation was forced to tighten its belt due to a sliding economy.

Now more than ever, I am finding a reason to mutter those words again.

SUPPORT THE SPORT
Just a couple of months ago MMA was booming.

For the first time, fans were able to see events free on network television. Fighters had the opportunity to fight for more than one organization, and paydays were at an all-time high.

But just like the dot com recession of the early 2000s, MMA's bubble has finally burst. I cannot even begin to list off the names of events gone the wayside; it is simply too large to count.

During this boom, I also noticed a common trend: the soaring paydays from experienced fighters who took advantage of inexperienced promoters. Many fighters priced themselves far above the market rate and in effect raised the market as a whole.

Many fighters seem to only care about getting paid today and could really care less about the longevity of the events tomorrow. However, many of these fighters are now finding themselves struggling for employment, as most of these naive promotions were lucky to see a second show.

THE FIGHT BUSINESS
Fighters need to realize the business of the fight business, because most of you are hurting the promotions that are trying to help you, and the promoters that you think you are helping out are duping you.

Case in point: a fighter competes in a low-budget event for $500 and then turns around and expects $5,000 from the high-production event down the street. The reality is that both events charge $20 a ticket, except only one of them is spending the extra dough to bring in all the bells and whistles.

At the end of the day, the guy that has the bigger show also has the bigger expenses, and the little guy isn't spending a dime. However, the low-end production is still charging the same amount per ticket!

If anyone is in a position to pay a fighter more, it is the guy who you think doesn't have it - the low-budget event. Sorry to say it, but you are being duped.

And to the promoters that are reviving the slave trade ... knock it off.

If you cannot afford to do a event right, you shouldn't be doing an event at all. Spend some money on your show, such as on quality medical staff, on better insurance for the fighters and, for crying out loud, at least enough to dim the house lights instead of leaving them on the whole time. Otherwise, give it back to the fighters directly.

GET ON THE SAME SIDE
That being said, it's time to wake up. It's time to lend a hand at rebuilding the sport that you plan on profiting from and not just taking from it.

It's about making sure that the events that you compete in are making enough to continue to give you a platform to compete in, and that these same events are taking care of the fighters that take care of them. Enough with the hustle, we are in dark times right now.

The bottom line is that it is time to support the sport. It isn't about taking advantage of promoters, or promoters taking advantage of its fighters. It's working together to ensure that there will be another event and another payday down the road.

Victory Jay's column appears in every issue. This one is from the April issue.