Forne UFC-mästaren Ken Shamrock, som också har en plats i organisationens ”Hall of Fame”, är högst inblandad i den pågående debatten om UFCs särställning och vilka löner fajters utifrån att han delade med sig av sina åsikter om ämnet i ESPNs granskning.
Varken Lorenzo Fertitta eller Dana White har varit särskilt nöjda över granskningen och givit både ESPN och Shamrock svar på tal på olika sätt. Utifrån detta har Shamrock skrivit ett svar till dem båda.
”I stand by what I said. UFC has, good or bad, boxed out other competition. As a result, there are very few options for MMA fighters to make a living without working as fighters for UFC’s parent company, the ZUFFA Corporation. That’s why over 20 fighters that ESPN interviewed could not go on record for fear of losing favor with UFC. It is true that they pay the upper tier fighters well. I was one of the first to realize that kind of pay. I can appreciate the fighters Dana and Lorenzo cited with video clips, but they are not the fighters I was referring my comments to. I do feel there should be more transparency in reporting of fight gates and actual Pay Per Views. Yes, Lorenzo’s statements are true. You do have the right to audit; the problems arises when you ask for the audit.”, , skriver Ken Shamrock på sin hemsida.
Shamrock fortsätter i sitt svar och hävdar att UFC för fansen bakom ljuset.
”The fans are too smart to buy into this idea that UFC pays up to 50% to the fighters. I’m not a mathematician, but when they claim that the UFC is now the most valuable franchise in sports, the numbers do not add up. In the interview they said they paid out a quarter billion to fighters over the years but 50% means that the UFC ought to be dolling out closer to a $1 billion. Seems like the UFC fighters are getting short changed.”, skriver Shamrock med fetmarkerad text.
Denna debatt är förmodligen långt ifrån över.
