UFC lightweight and Wall Street executive John Cholish

By FCF Staff

It’s been nearly two weeks now since John Cholish announced he was retiring and criticized the UFC for not compensating its fighters enough, and the commodities broker isn’t letting up.

Following his submission loss to Gleison Tibau on May 18th, the 29 year-old vet relayed on The MMA Hour that he lost money to compete in that contest, and that further, fighters “could be compensated much better based on the income that the UFC takes in.”

In a more recent interview with Bloody Elbow.com, Cholish said he intends to continue speaking out, since, according to him, many fighters are afraid to criticize the UFC. When asked to estimate how many UFC competitors share his feelings regarding compensation, Cholish responded by saying:

“I would say 90% including some top tier fighters. It’s interesting when you look at an event that takes place over the weekend, and the reported salaries for the entire roster on that card, 24 fighters or so, can be covered alone with the in-gate ticket sales at the venue. That’s before you even get to the PPV, the licensing, the merchandising, the advertising and the contracted revenue with companies like FOX.”

“I don’t know the exact numbers, but it’s pretty obscene when you look at the revenue that the UFC is taking in, compared to the portion that they’re giving back to the fighters. Last I checked, the fans are buying the PPV to see the guys inside the cage, not the owners sitting outside of it.”

UFC President Dana White recently blasted Cholish for his criticisms, citing the fact that the lightweight was released by the UFC, and that he was granted the same opportunity men like Cain Velasquez and Jon Jones received when they signed with the company.