re: If MMA is much bigger than boxing, why did their star have to box to make that much $

Gotcha. Thought you were talking about MMA as a whole.

quote:

---

Those guys aren't picking MMA over boxing if they are winning the Golden Gloves or competing in the Olympics.

---

I started off in boxing as a kid, did Golden Gloves. However, I was always intrigued with wrestling since we did not have that in my neck of the woods in NE LA when I was in high school. So I got into BJJ after college and ultimately MT as well to learn kicks/elbows/knees on top of sticking with boxing. I am good friends with several boxers that never made the switch to MMA. However, I also know alot of MMA guys that have legit striking and could be much better boxers if they just picked that sport and ran with it.

quote:

---

If MMA is much bigger than boxing, why did their star have to box to make that much $

---

By every measure, Football is bigger than MLB and the NBA, yet the players in both of those sports make more than their NFL counterparts.

1: UFC makes all the money

2: MMA fans are broke white trash and Affliction-wearing 50k millionaires

quote:

---

Because the UFC makes the money, not the fighters.

---

I think it's this plus control. Boxing, in the form of prize fighting, came up as an organic sport. Lots of promoters and small organizations directing the sport in multiple locations. Other types of fighting tended to get lumped into wrestling and carnival side shows in the minds of many people, usually dismissed as somewhat staged or somehow less legitimate than boxing. That perception has began to change for the general public only in the past couple of decades.

I think the UFC (and MMA by association) is situated more like the modern professional wrestling game (not fake, just promotionally and organizationally). There probably are multiple small associations that sponsor MMA type fights but all the significant money is controlled by UFC and all the fighters want to fight there. At some point, I expect the bigger name fighters (like McGregor and Rousy type character, people who seem to transcend the actual sport, at least in name recognition) to leverage more cash and control into the fighters hands. Additionally, I think when Dana White retires or is pushed out by William Morris Endeavor, some of that will change as well.

TLDR version fighter control or lack thereof is the difference.

quote:

---

2: MMA fans are broke white trash and Affliction-wearing 50k millionaires

---

While not 100% true there is sadly some truth to this. I bet almost all mouth breathing neckbeards who think being fat and above 6' tall makes them tough are HUGE mma fans

Uh huh.