Sean McCorkle's UFC career fits a somewhat standard UFC model. He was able to manage a win over Mark Hunt in his promotional debut, dropped back-to-back fights to Stefan Struve and Christian Morecraft and was released. He fits comfortably into that mid-tier fighter who couldn't quite make it in the UFC. In other words, he is very similar to the fighters in the range that the recent ESPN "Outside the Lines" feature focused on in terms of potentially being underpaid.
McCorkle hit up The Underground to defend the UFC's pay structure and to give some details about how he was paid during his time in the promotion:
During my 3 fight stint with the UFC the paid me exactly 150% what they were contractually obligated to pay me. That is without a KO/Sub/Fight of the night bonus of any kind. That is even though I lost 2 of my 3 fights.
I got a discretionary bonus after all 3 of my fights, even an amount equal to my what would have been my win bonus after my embarrassing performance against Stephan Struve. I was told that was given to me based strictly on the effort I put in to promoting the fight, and not because of how I performed.
I am currently unaware of any pro sports franchise that pays any player more money than they are obligated to do so.
Sponsorship wise during those 3 fights I made an average each fight of about 75% of what I was contracted to be paid by the UFC. So if my purse for fighting was $10,000 I made approximately $7,500 in sponsors on average.
Take an average fighter's reported pay for a televised fight, and double it, and you'll have a rough number of the amount he made on that fight. So if a guy is reported at $12,000 to show, and $12,000 to win, chances are he'll make around $50,000 by the time it's all said and done for that fight.
There's plenty more in his full post there, but it's good information to have.
As I mentioned during the Lorenzo vs. Friday Night Fights post, I have no problem with the way the UFC actually pays fighters other than that I don't like the bottom pay guys making only a disclosed $6k if they lose. I'd rather see something closer to a $10,000 to show/$3,000 to win structure for the bottom end. Enough to help offset camp costs, have a bit of money left over and still have a bonus for winning the fight.
But that's a relatively minor concern and, as long as the pay doesn't remain stagnant over the next few years as the promotion grows with the Fox involvement, it's pretty fair.
3 recs | 129 comments
Sean McCorkle, that's the smartest thing you've ever said...
You’re still awful, though.
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
You’re not awful if you beat Mark Hunt, you’re pretty badass.
Kenya_MMA - January 17, 2012
I guess you never read his jokes
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
He would have but he is not a 12 year old.
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Yeah this makes no sense
And your sig is a war crime.
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
LOL, you missed the AJ thread didn't you
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Must've.
You dirty Chargers fan.
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
HA HA, dirty isn't the world I feel soiled. : )
dandeman - January 17, 2012
I cannot believe you guys kept Norv, how are people not outraged?
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
Its all we have here in socal, its all we have.... sniff sniff
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Besides in 07 we did great and they fired Marty Schottenheimer; makes sense right
Might as well suck and do the opposite and keep this crack head. For 3 years straight Marty had a positive record and because of egos well you know the rest.
dandeman - January 17, 2012
It could be worse, you could have Romeo Crennel
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
yup i was beyond pissed when I got the alert that Norv was staying.
Rob Young - January 17, 2012
Owner don't want to man up and say they fucked up but hell he fucked up.
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Someone’s trying to get back in the UFC.
SentientAndroid - January 17, 2012
haha
you beat me to it
the guy with the big nose - January 17, 2012
Brent Brookhouse - January 17, 2012
sonned
HitokiriX - January 17, 2012
And just to note....
he’s said as much, regarding his pay and how he was treated, well before the ESPN pay article was floated out there.
SteveevaD - January 17, 2012
Well then
I guess I’ll just be shutting the fuck up.
SentientAndroid - January 17, 2012
dangadadanged
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
Snap and shut. : )
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Uh
He has been kissing their ass and begging to come back LONG before this ESPN interview. That “you’re just mad they cut you” argument is straw-man bullshit. He would NEVER make a cross comment towards the UFC while he is still active.
RANDOM capitalized words.
Farthammer - January 17, 2012
He's not trying to get back in the UFC
He’s giving his honest account of what he was paid.
To me, the most frustrating thing about this entire episode has been the way everyone questions the motives of anyone who says anything. Josh Gross writes a story the UFC doesn’t like? He must hate the UFC and be trying to do a hit piece! A former UFC fighter says he’s happy with what he got paid? He must be a liar! I’m all for healthy skepticism, but this is getting ridiculous.
MichaelDavidSmith - January 17, 2012
He’s trying to get back in the UFC, but that is not the sole motivation behind disclosing this information.
Machiel Van - January 17, 2012
But isn’t Gross supposed to be the most mainsteam MMA Reporter? Can u imagine if Steven A. Smith wrote an article about the NBA and cited all annonomous sources, and had a “expert” throwing out facts that were sooo far from being accurate? It would never happen.
So why is Josh Gross afforded the opportunity to write such a “hack” piece?
If it wasn’t coming from ESPN it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But since its coming from the largest sports network in the world, and most uninformed fans take ESPN for gospel..so that’s why people made such a big deal about it.
Fedorable - January 17, 2012 via mobile
That would be Chris Broussard
Who writes articles or tweets constantly using “anonymous” sources
milliondollardreams - January 17, 2012
Steven A. Smith doesn’t have to use anonymous sources because when LeBron James is upset at the way the NBA is being ran and wants to voice his opinion, he isn’t worried about David Stern pitting him against teams who are better than him, so he loses, then gets cut from the NBA while David Stern produces a reality show to create a new LeBron James level star from scratch.
NoHo - January 17, 2012
Mobile rec
Dave Strummer - January 17, 2012 via mobile
somone is trying hard to get back into the UFC
the guy with the big nose - January 17, 2012
Thoughtful post
though if you read down, it looks like his opinion comes from an established position of being very supportive of corporate interests and very skeptical of unionized labor, so you have to factor that in to what he’s saying.
The nut of what he’s saying is that the UFC pays fighters much better, and much more consistently, than every other option out there, which is something I don’t think is in dispute. He says that fighters are only worth what people are willing to pay them, which is also true, but the question is whether the UFC is artificially manipulating that number by the control it exerts over the market.
Definitely worth a read though.
Dave Strummer - January 17, 2012
Despite Sean McCrumble's bad humor
he is pretty honest about stuff, he isnt saying this stuff to score brownie points or anything.
He was pretty Candid about his UFC stint.
The bottom line is being a UFC fighter is a pretty lucrative opportunity.
elmojo - January 17, 2012
Big Sexy Knows what he's talking about.....
…..hopefully we can put an end to fighter pay and move on. We sure live in a nosey society these days. UFC doesn’t owe us squat when it comes to how they pay their fighters.
Taiter - January 17, 2012
Yeah I mean really we should never question the internal workings of the UFC we should just be thankful and stop asking questions and praise the Supreme Leader
Pyrgz Krum - January 17, 2012
i've started a collection of lima beans that look like the Leader
Clifford J - January 17, 2012
they actually look like our beloved Baldfather
the guy with the big nose - January 17, 2012
I actually disagree quite a bit. When you have to pay close to $800/year to watch their product…i don’t think it’s unfair to want to know how that money is being used.
Brent Brookhouse - January 17, 2012
Why??
I go to 3 live shows a year and buy every PPV. They tell you how they pay their fighters, the fighters tell you and still they have to answer more questions. When is enough enough?
Taiter - January 17, 2012
You don't HAVE to pay anything
It’s the consumer’s choice to watch all, some or none of the UFC’s product. Now obviously as a writer on the sport you have to, but then you and me are in a position a bit more slanted than the average PPV buyer and our interests aren’t necessarily the same.
Plus we can work out some of the costs if we know where to look (PPV provider takes a cut, cost of hiring out an arena, estimate television spot advertising costs, marketing costs, average number of staff working an event and the makeup of the production etc)
KJ Gould - January 17, 2012
Exactomundo!
Consumers have a right to spend their money however they please – or not spend it. But they don’t have a right to know how a private company runs their business. I’d like to know, but it’s not my right.
pud333 - January 17, 2012
And if they have a problem with not knowing how the UFC runs their business, feel free to stop consuming the product. I doubt the UFC will lose much sleep over it.
alxn - January 17, 2012
Pretty much.
pud333 - January 17, 2012
SBN doesn't reimburse you for your PPV costs?
What the hell kinda perks do you get as Managing Editor??
We all know Barton is willing to lay on the casting couch face down, but is that really a perk?
Ulf Murphy - January 17, 2012
definitely
You should see what we get at HKL
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
The chance to interview for Barton's spot??
Ulf Murphy - January 17, 2012
Actually, it is unfair.
Would you walk into your dry cleaner and ask to see his books? What about the dealer you bought your last car or the restaurant you eat lunch at a few times a week?
These are privately owned companies. They don’t us as consumers the right to scrutinize their financials.
Steve W - January 17, 2012 via mobile
So Brent, according to your logic, we’re entitled to know how much SB Nation pays to their managing editors, right?
Shnak - January 17, 2012
Do you pay anything to come here, read and comment?
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
Indirectly, yes. Without me (and thousands others), there’s no sponsors, and BE doesn’t exist. So I pay with my time and my presence.
Shnak - January 17, 2012
when you chip in $800 a month
Yes. Also I’d shit my pants in joy if I was making anywhere near what bottom tier UFC fighters were for writing at sbnation.
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
Way to miss my point, everyone.
Shnak - January 17, 2012
if everyone missed it
that’s because you made it poorly
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
Let me re-explain it, then. Brent’s saying he’s entitled to know how the UFC, a private company, spends its money on fighters. If that’s the case, I’m saying I’m entitled to know how much SB Nation, a private company, spends its money on its managing editors. Get it?
Shnak - January 17, 2012
your point is invalid
because you are not contributing directly hundreds or more dollars into the cause. Many companies are a lot more transparent with their finances, and tons of others have had exposes detailing their good or poor business practices. Kind of like the ESPN piece. Look up Apple or Nike and their workers in China. Look up GM and their revamped pay structure. Look at the NBA, MLB, NFL, etc. etc. etc.
You don’t even need to pay tons of monies to see how those work, just look it up. If we’re being charged a lot of money on recurring payments, we’ve got a right to ask for a bit more transparency
Cory Braiterman - January 18, 2012
Apple, Nike, etc. are all publicly traded companies with investors that want accounts of everything going on… is that the case with the UFC? Nope. It’s a privately-owned company, and it doesn’t have to tell you a single thing about its finances.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
If I were a fighter
im not sure id want everyone knowing my exact income but thats just me.
boscomma - January 17, 2012
Im sure...
Its not just you… I doubt any of these guys want what they make out there in the public
Fokman - January 17, 2012
What's interesting is
The sports where we don’t know the income, we usually don’t hear about getting robbed/killed etc. Maybe other sports should take notice.
milliondollardreams - January 17, 2012
Call me crazy, but I’m guessing that isn’t the only reason that professional mixed martial arts fighters are not getting attacked by criminals.
Velcro - January 17, 2012
Assuming this is true for all fighters,
it would be extremely smart for the UFC to make these bonuses part of the contracts. If they are payed in a way that the public can see them, it makes a much better impression on fans, media, and people considering a fighting career.
Andy Davis - January 17, 2012
I guess its there so that if a fighter really shits the bed
Or pisses them off they don’t have to pay it. If you put in no effort to promote the fight and then lay n pray for three rounds I doubt they’d give you that extra money.
MemphisMike - January 17, 2012
Why?
It will make some lazy knowing that they are guarantee a bigger payday without putting in the work
Fokman - January 17, 2012
No way
joker24 - January 17, 2012
Adding it to the contract also increases the bond they need to have before every event
Day Man - January 17, 2012
Bonuses as part of contract
Andy, incorporating bonuses as part of a contract may be a good idea, but I think it will get too complicated to implement if all 200+ fighters received them. You’re right in that it will generate a better impression on fans. In fact, you can even use the bonuses to incentivize more exciting fights, knock outs, etc. However, I think the main barrier is implementation. Not saying it’s impossible, but I am saying that it can be very difficult to make bonuses part of INDIVIDUAL contracts.
Fokman argued against it because he claims fighters will receive a bigger pay day for no additional work. The way around this is to make the bonus payouts based on some performance criteria, and not guaranteed.
Joker24, I think your issue is more with transparency and fairness of fighter pay, which are obviously barriers faced by any fight promotion.
I have thought up of a few ways for the UFC to increase transparency, accountability, and performance-orientation here. http://fightbonus.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-ufc-can-prevent-criticism-of-its.html
Excel Slave - January 17, 2012
What I found surprising
Is according to him he made only $22,500 in 3 fights in the UFC. You’d think co-maining a GSP card would get you better sponsor opportunities than that.
John Nash - January 17, 2012
I read the whole post and dont see where u get those #s
Fokman - January 17, 2012
Seriously your paid by your contract that is what you sign, where the fights are or who the fights are along with are irrelevant.
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Actually pretty relevant to sponsorship money which was a large part of McCorkle’s financial analysis
Day Man - January 17, 2012
True enough on sponsorship but on the rest and the love they feel for you its based on the company
Discretionary is up to the UFC if they love how you promote the fight and how you fought.
Sponsorship I give you the better card the better money you should get but if sponsor money equals 75% of your pay thats pretty damn good.
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Makes me wonder how Nick Diaz has such "money problems"
Any chance he’s got many many people in his pockets without him even knowing?
KidCanada - January 17, 2012
Duh.
That dude outside collecting cigarette butts, he took at least half his money.
buzz_killr - January 17, 2012
Based on his own statements
“Sponsorship wise during those 3 fights I made an average each fight of about 75% of what I was contracted to be paid by the UFC. So if my purse for fighting was $10,000 I made approximately $7,500 in sponsors on average.”
McCorkles listed purse against Morecraft was $10,000. $10,000 × 3 × 75% = $22,500
John Nash - January 17, 2012
^ reply to Fokman
John Nash - January 17, 2012
Didnt see u said sponsors, my fault...
But he did say assuming he was contracted at 10k… Might be more
Fokman - January 17, 2012
he used that as an asbtract figure
it makes it easy for people to reference a percentage
HitokiriX - January 17, 2012
thats some poor math fail.
10,000 × 3 is 30,000
now ADD 7,500 x3 on top of that, not multiply by 75%.
That’s $52,500.
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
He is just adding up SPONSOR money... I missed that as well
Fokman - January 17, 2012
Yeah, I wasn't clear on that
I was speaking only of his pay from sponsors not purse.
John Nash - January 17, 2012
I do agree it seems low...
Could he have meant that rate was per sponsor?
Fokman - January 17, 2012
That's not low at all
How much do you think it costs to get a logo on a hip outside of the 10G fee they have to pay the UFC? It’s probably a grand for the hip, and 2k for the groin and ass. In before thats what she said.
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
and 5K for groin to Ass
dandeman - January 17, 2012
15k for the inverse
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
maybe the announced fighter wages are so low for tax purposes to help the fighters a bit……
The_Devil_You_Know - January 17, 2012
Probably not. If they are paying them completely under the table, that means the UFC can’t write it off as an expense, and that means the UFC has to pay taxes on money they don’t have, which is dumb.
Even dumber, would be to do that, and then talk about it publicly all over the place so that the UFC and all their fighters can get audited and get their ass kicked for doing things illegally.
Phildo - January 17, 2012
There can be arguments made in many directions regarding fighter pay....
at the end of the day no one is forcing a fighter to fight for a living. He could probably do any number of jobs depending on his skill set. If Chuck Liddell were working at burger king would we be pissing and moaning about him making minimum wage (like what many people do make for a living). Sports are an opportunity and a privilege to be part of as a professional and if they have the talent and drive it turns into an opportunity that has the potential to support them long after there actual time in the sport.
boscomma - January 17, 2012
I see why you'd use Chuck in your BK example,
but Chuck has his bachelors in accounting.
lukustra - January 17, 2012
Maybe internationally, but definitely not for anything under the purview of the IRS.
Jahbulon - January 17, 2012
Follow the link to the full post for more good stuff. He posted more than what would be reasonable to post here. I never liked McCorkle but there was a ton of good, interesting stuff there.
Tim Bernier - January 17, 2012 via mobile
I don’t get this “i never liked X fighter” mentality. What has McCorkle done to you? Please explain.
Kenya_MMA - January 17, 2012
he made bad jokes on the internet, which is probably worse than taking steroids on the list of terrible things mma fighters can do.
Phildo - January 17, 2012
I dont get this idea that you can not have an opinion about a person unless they affected your life on a personal level. people have opinion of fighters the same reason people have opinions about actors and politicians because of how they conduct themselves in front of the public eye.
smreece - January 17, 2012
exactly.
I can understand not using the world “hate” without having a justifiable reason for the feeling but you can indeed dislike someone or something without much reason besides that they rubbed you the wrong way. I very much so dislike Jon Jones like many of you do as well even though he hasn’t really impacted our lives in any way other they putting on some pretty awesome in cage performances. Doesn’t the least bit change my opinion of him.
lukustra - January 17, 2012
Are you sure you're able to read my comment
from all the way up on your high horse?
Tim Bernier - January 17, 2012
50% discretionary bonus based on promotional effort.
It’s pretty obvious why Sonnen has started acting so ridiculous since he joined the UFC.
Ikuhisa Quinoa - January 17, 2012
haha yeah it does, you’d think Chael is making Brock money with all of his excessive talking.
SentientAndroid - January 17, 2012
He should. He finally made Anderson Silva relevant to the casual MMA fans.
Shnak - January 17, 2012
After following the link and seeing some of the comments over there I would like to say thank you all
Afrotikiman - January 17, 2012 via mobile
The problem with the ESPN story, in my view, is the narrow-minded focus on entry-level fighters, where the pay is more than fair. Fighters are dying to get into the UFC. That is not where the problem is.
There’s an interesting story to be told about the pay for mid level career guys. How is Keith Jardine’s bank account given the brain damage he must have? How well off is Shane Carwin? Or Gray Maynard?
The entry level pay being low is actually good for poor and new fighters. If there was a league minimum of 25 or 30k, we would see a lot less new, unproven fighters. A lot of times Joe Silva will take a flier on a fighter he’s never seen, but got a recommendation from someone he knows. The risk isn’t that big at the entry level pay. We would see far less new faces if the base pay was higher. I don’t see how in the world that benefits fighters on the independent circuit trying to get into the UFC.
Michael Rome - January 17, 2012
This is so true,
people always talk about higher pay for under-card or entry-level fighters in the UFC, but if this happened, it would discourage the UFC from taking a gamble on these guys. E.g., Paulo Thiago came out of (relatively) no-where to prove himself as a very good, top-tier WW.
Economics usually has a reaction for every action, so the answers are seldom as neat and tidy as people would like.
Nice to see you back, Mike!
jhf884 - January 17, 2012
Yes. There are so many different variables when it comes to business. There’s a reason why so many businesses fail within the first few years. So many people don’t know how they work and what it takes to run one successfully.
pud333 - January 17, 2012
Rec'd. Thanks for this insight, Rome.
You always manage to give a different slant on things.
pud333 - January 17, 2012
I predict Winner of Hunt/Kongo fights the man bear big Gonzaga
terzergoss - January 17, 2012
Thank you for that extremely relevant take on this article.
MichaelDavidSmith - January 17, 2012
Thanks for making me chuckle
Robert V-U - January 17, 2012
Good info
But if you can’t beat Morecraft you should not be brought back to the UFC sorry! Nice try though. =-)
taptomyarmbar - January 17, 2012
Forget all that BREAKING NEWS
lorettahuntmma Loretta Hunt
Breaking: Accord. to NSAC: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal tested positive for Drostanlone in conjunction with his 1/7 Strikeforce win over Larkin
milliondollardreams - January 17, 2012
Ha
Afrotikiman - January 17, 2012 via mobile
o snap
Cory Braiterman - January 17, 2012
right you are
thats pretty messed up. Especially since he was trying so hard to give Kim Winslow a public lecture on being a professional.
ODBasyoucansee - January 17, 2012
MMA fans don't really understand him
You wouldn’t get it.
Charles Awad - January 17, 2012
Tainted energy drink excuse in 5...4...
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
Very disappointing.
Horselover Fat - January 17, 2012
Those supplements were racist.
dandeman - January 17, 2012
Its funny to see "King Mo" trending on twitter now..
BrandtShaft! - January 17, 2012
So, this officially buries the whole
“they had to use anonymous sources, b/c no one would talk to them” thing, right?
I mean there is Snowden’s piece on BR (which was excellent) and now Mccorkle. Several fighters have gone on record about fighter pay—not even counting what we know from law-suits.
jhf884 - January 17, 2012
Not to mention
They also plugged in three snippets from Monte Cox that were mostly on the negative end, but he says it was a two-hour interview where 95% of what he said was positive. Here’s what he said on the UG:
Jamie Penick - January 17, 2012
Man, that ESPN piece comes off as poorer and poorer.
No wonder BE turned it down!
jhf884 - January 17, 2012
McCorkle will be on mma hour now maybe there will be further clarification
milliondollardreams - January 17, 2012
Props to McCorkle
I respect McCorkle coming out with these comments. It helps get a clearer perspective on this whole fighters salary debacle that’s going on right now.
It appears that the majority of top-tier fighters are happy with their financial rewards from the company. Liddell, Serra, and Griffin have all spoken out in defense for the UFC.
I would imagine that it is only the lower-tier guys, that aren’t quite UFC grade, who have a problem – however, if they were to fight out of the UFC, it’s unlikely they would earn as much in another promotion.
@KatanaClothing - January 17, 2012
all i know is brent you better have found this before me cause i posted this in a fan post and want my 40 acres and a mule damn it! or more palmer pics either one is good
Mac Marley - January 17, 2012
Have you seen this one ---->
Ulf Murphy - January 17, 2012
I think even for the lowest level guys, long term the pay works out quite well. While they aren’t getting money thrown at them, even if they get cut, surely after they go back to the regional scene they are gonna get paid better than they would before they joined the UFC. In every regional show from then on it will say “UFC veteran” beside their name so they’ll get paid better
StevenGiles - January 17, 2012
UFC Pay vs SF and WEC
I think the UFC pays a premium over other organizations. I recently analyzed how Carlos Condit, Urijah Faber, and Nick Diaz were paid before joining the UFC, and how they were paid after signing with the UFC. They each received approximately 9%-15% increase. Check out the analysis here. http://fightbonus.blogspot.com/2012/01/ufc-pay-vs-sf-pay-vs-wec-pay-look-at.html
Excel Slave - January 17, 2012
Most accurate name and post combination ever
menckenstein - January 17, 2012
George Roop also admitted on the SRN that even though he is going to make eight and eight for his next fight, he makes a very good living for himself and says the UFC treats him well.
discoandherpes - January 17, 2012
If McCorkle's fight hyping is so lucrative
I don’t understand why more fighters aren’t internet trolls
Stiff Jab - January 17, 2012
If UFC
signed a deal with ABC/ESPN and Not FOX
would this story of even ran?
P86 - January 17, 2012
I really don't like big sexy but it's very nice to hear from someone who knows
and I loath so I’m quick to trust what he has to say, and it’s par for what I figured re the pay and I think it’s a smart move for him to defend the UFC, someone in the structure will take notice…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - January 17, 2012
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