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Michael Page is deeply troubled by the financial disparity between mixed martial arts fighters and the organizations that contract them. The fallout between Francis Ngannou and the UFC is the most high-profile example of a problem that Page sees permeating all throughout the sport.
Ngannou and UFC’s split dominated the news cycle in January following multiple headlines last year outlining financial disputes between the two parties. Page said those stories should never hit the public radar because promotions should better compensate disgruntled fighters.
“It’s disappointing,” Page told “Morning Kombat” ahead of his fight against Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292 on Friday. “I think things like that just shouldn’t happen… You’re the biggest and best combat champion, because MMA for me is the toughest sport combat-wise, and you’re in the heavyweight division. It’s the division everybody wants to see. Everyone loves seeing two big people fighting. You win a belt and you’re complaining about finances. That stuff shouldn’t even be getting out to the public. That shouldn’t even be a story.
“Not only did you get to the show, but you got to the highest point of the show. You are the heavyweight champion of the world and you’re complaining about finances. For me, it’s a letdown for everybody I think… There is a lot that needs to be done better and that’s not just UFC, it’s everybody.”
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Documents from the UFC Antitrust Lawsuit revealed that UFC historically pays its fighters between 16% to 20% of the company’s annual revenue, a steep decline from the 44.7% that Bellator pays and 50% that major sporting leagues like the NBA and NFL pay.
The financial pressure on world-class fighters competing in major organizations is exasperated the further you go down the card. For every Ngannou, there are hundreds of talented young fighters signed to major organizations still fighting for scraps. It may not be Page’s reality at present, but it’s one he sees first-hand every day.
“I think as hard as we train to just get to the UFC or get to these higher shows, once you get there you shouldn’t still be struggling for the same thing,” Page said. “I’m watching people in my gym. Guys who come into the gym, train hard, they’re busting their asses because they’re fighting on the same shows as me. Once they finish their session, they have to quickly get washed and changed because in the evening they have to stand by the door as a security guard. They have to do that until six in the morning, sleep for a couple of hours to then get back up and train with us again.
“But they’ve already made it. They’ve made it to the pinnacle of their career and yet they’re still having to do all these things. I personally think that’s disgusting. That shouldn’t be the case. You’d never see an NFL player or [soccer] player or basketball player get to the pinnacle and have to still be working somewhere else just to keep doing what they love. To keep doing their passion.”
Page calls for systematic change and agrees that a fighter union may be necessary.
“Why are you still having to hustle in the same way once you’re there? The system doesn’t work,” Page said. “I think there should be some format where they get a little bit more help in that department.
“A union would help everybody, but at the same time, it potentially could slow certain things down. So it would be a bit of a back-and-forth before you find the balance, but yeah I guess a union just protects us.”