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Thursday, Jan 16, 2014

Rich Franklin Weighs in on Fighter Pay: “The UFC is The Only Player so it Gives Them an Edge”

Franklin

By FCF Staff

While it remains to be seen if Rich Franklin will return to the Octagon for another bout or two, as the veteran hopes, more recently the former champ was asked about the issue of fighter pay. The interview comes at a time when another of the sports biggest stars in Georges St. Pierre, has argued that the UFC constitutes a monopoly.

During a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, here is some of what Franklin had to say on the issue of fighter pay (as transcribed by MMA Mania.com):

“Everybody is put on their own schedule. How UFC negotiates with me is different than how they negotiate with somebody else. From a business standpoint, I get it. The UFC is not in the business of just giving away money. It’s your job to negotiate that money. It is difficult because they are the only player on the block. This is the analogy I use with people. In the NFL, I can negotiate my contract with the team. If I don’t like that contract, I have 31 other teams to negotiate with. I know it’s not that easy; but the point is that there are other sources that you can go to. The UFC is the only player so it gives them an edge. And kudos to them for having a great business plan…”

“But, you have to remember that I was a high school teacher. I transitioned into MMA and I made way more money fighting than I would have teaching high school. Honestly, I feel blessed that I’ve been given the opportunities that I’ve been given and blessed to have made the money that I’ve made. I see fighters like Jon Jones, they are getting bigger contracts; the sport’s more mainstream and they have better endorsement opportunities…Yeah, it would have been nice If I has made more money in my career but I’m definitely not complaining about the amount of money I made. UFC always treated me well and they did the things they said they were going to do.”

The 39 year-old Franklin hasn’t fought since November, 2012, when he was quickly knocked out by Cung Le. Franklin has been building his organic juice company Ze/Lin since, but has relayed he hopes to fight at least one more time before calling it quits.

 


posted by FCF Staff @ 3:27 pm
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