UFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann are siding with the UFC on the topic of fighter pay.
Paddy Pimblett & Molly McCann Defend UFC Against Fighter Pay Critics
Many prominent names within the combat sports community, from Jake Paul to Francis Ngannou, have called out the UFC for low fighter pay.
However, there are a pair of rising UFC stars who are defending the promotion against such critics.
Two of the UK’s most promising rising stars, Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann, believe there’s more that meets the eye on the subject.
Firstly, Pimblett believes that the pay fighters deserve also depends on their ability to be entertaining and put fans in seats. Not just their pure skill inside the cage.
“People moan about the wages, but if you’re a boring fighter, no personality, it’s always stuff like that,” Pimblett said (via MMA Mania). “They never go, ‘Ah, yeah, it’s my own fault.’
“Or, ‘I’m a boring bastard.’ Some people can’t talk on a mic, but they’re boss in the cage. I always say, you’ve got to have the whole package.”
As for McCann, she points out how much the UFC does for their fighters while they’re in camp and approaching fight night.
From luxurious hotel and flight accommodations, to meal prepping, to access to the state of the art UFC Performance Institute – no other fight promotion offers such perks to its competitors.
“No other promotion would fly you around the world to put you in the five-star hotels,” McCann said. “When you arrive, you send them your weight, and they’ll come up with a refeed program.
“They’ll give you food all of the week. They’re with you non-stop. Then you’ve got the Performance Institute, which is like the EIS (English Institute of Sport). …
“We’ve got one in Las Vegas where you’re allowed to go and use for free, so you’ve constantly got free physio (therapy), strength and conditioning programs.
“Everyone starts the same, 10/10 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win). Then it will go up to 12/12 (and so on).”
Both Pimblett and McCann are preparing to get back into the Octagon this weekend at UFC Fight Night 208 at The O2 in London.
Pimblett takes on Jordan Leavitt, while McCann squares off against Hannah Goldy. Both fights take place on the ESPN+ main card.
