UFC Should Follow MLB's Lead And Give Athletes Financial Help Or How About A Little Something For Those Who Earn the UFC Its Money?
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Today I discuss the UFC possible giving its fighters some financial help.
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On Tuesday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that MLB would extend its financial support for minor league players. On March 19, the league said it would provide weekly allowances to minor league players through April 8. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, those allowances will now be extended until at least May 31. This is a good thing because according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, minor league players are not eligible for unemployment.
This is something the UFC should do to support its athletes during these uncertain times.
As we know, the UFC schedule is up in the air. UFC president Dana White has said every UFC fighter will get three fights in 2020, but with no guarantee that the UFC will get back to business as usual in the not too distant future, that is more White just saying stuff than a guarantee. Because of that, the UFC should think about providing all of its fighters with a stipend.
Some back of the envelope math reveals that if the UFC offered its fighters the same amount, it would set the promotion back about $2 million. That amount should be easily doable since the promotion recently approved a $300 million dividend to its investors.
A move like that would go a long way toward showing the fighters that the UFC cares about them and their families. It would also be a fantastic PR move when the MMA media has nothing but bad things to write about regarding the UFC’s response to the coronavirus, which has been pushing forward with UFC 249 and not informing fighters on postponed cards when they might compete again.
I’d be surprised if the UFC offers any financial help to the fighters, but there’s always hope that someone will come to their senses and give the folks who make money for the UFC a helping hand.
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