It’s often said that the UFC shares a great deal in common with professional wrestling and the WWE. Fans have drawn many parallels between them, drawing comparisons to the UFC and WWE because of their controversial leaders (Dana White, Vince McMahon) and their business model that emphasizes pay-per view events. But for all their similarities, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T believes that fundamentally the companies are in a very different business.
“I look at the two so separately,” Booker T told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. The only thing I see in professional wrestling and MMA is that professional wrestling must try to walk the tightrope to make it real. We know that it’s entertainment, but we still want to entice the fans to purchase it. That’s where MMA and wrestling come in to play. But as far as fanbase from wrestling to MMA, I really think it’s totally different, even though we’ve got a lot of fans on both sides. But I think MMA fans, it’s a different feeling in the arena for MMA, it’s a different feeling in the arena for boxing, it’s a totally different feeling for professional wrestling.”
Despite the differences between the UFC and WWE, they both seem to be facing the same issues, including scrutiny over issues related to athlete compensation. Despite shattering their annual revenue record in 2021, the WWE released more than 80 athletes last year as a result of “budget cuts” and has also faced criticism for its athlete compensation.
If all that sounds familiar it’s because the UFC has found itself in a similar situation recently. The UFC had a tremendously successful 2021 but has continued to part ways with well-known talent in favor of signing athletes off of Dana White’s Contender Series. On top of that, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has put a spotlight on the UFC’s pay structure and some of the biggest stars in the UFC have begun to speak out against the UFC’s business tactics. But though Booker T believes the two companies are different, he acknowledges that the pay structure is fundamentally similar and — in some ways — that’s never going to change.
“It will always be like professional wrestling. The top men are going to be those who make the most money,” Booker T stated. It will always be that way. But to be able to negotiate when you are good, when you are the top guy, you should get paid that money. When you have your name on the marquee, like we used to say to The Rock: ‘Thanks brother for the house.’ It’s no different and I think those fighters should get treated no differently.”
That isn’t to say that Booker T wouldn’t like to see improvement. Currently, UFC fighters collectively take home roughly 20 percent of revenue on an annual basis. That number stands in stark contrast to other sports leagues like the NFL and NBA, which have a revenue split closer to 50/50. And considering the risks that fighters face every time they compete, Booker T says he would like to see the athletes be properly taken care of.
” The fight game can be tough and many of these guys don’t leave unharmed,” Booker T stated. “It can be a hell of a a deal after their careers. That’s why I’m an advocate for the fighters. These guys deserve to be paid the most money possible . It is life and death every single time they step into a ring .
