Tim Kennedy says he would make more cash emptying trash cans than fighting in the UFC

Tim Kennedy says he would make more cash emptying trash cans than fighting in the UFC

Last night I tried to explain the enigma of Tim Kennedy to someone that doesn’t follow MMA. It started off with me telling her that Tim Kennedy used to kill people as part of his profession, and in the meantime he uses his downtime manifest a mean shrimp ceviche. If people only knew how much Jason Nawara appreciated Kennedy, then a long string of restraining orders would follow. To say Jason has a man crush on Tim Kennedy is an understatement. The dude would have an artificial uterus implanted in his body in order to host Tim Kennedy’s babies. Imagine that. Actually, don’t imagine that. That’s just horrible.

Tim Kennedy has always been a friend of the site even before we started our ‘Cooking with Tim Kennedy‘ segment. According to Kennedy, it’s a good thing he has a second job (which we’re assuming is a Michelin Chef), because according to a recent interview on the GrappleTalk podcast (via The UG), the UFC doesn’t pay very well.

It’s pathetic that so many fighters [have to have other jobs]…I’m one of the 3% of guys in the whole entire sport and it would be slim pickings to survive off what I make in fighting.

It’s a good thing I have another job because the UFC doesn’t pay very well.

Anybody who accepts that as a reality of the sport is sad and pathetic. I hope this isn’t the reality of the sport, if it is I should probably go do something else, like empty trash cans. I’d make more money than I do now.

Tim Kennedy also discussed how even though he’s making $55k to show at UFC 162, he will get very little of that after his camp and tax are deducted.

Kennedy revealed that he was due around $55,000 to show up at UFC 162, with the purse potentially increasing to $70,000 with a win bonus – but that after the expenses of his camp, medicals and fight team, he would only pocket around $20,000, even before taxes. After the interview, Kennedy sent a detailed breakdown of how his fight purse would be divided up: 13% on gym fees, 12% for nutrition, 10% to his manager, 10% to his coach, 8% on his camp lodging, 3% for fight medicals and 3% on equipment. In total, that’s 59% of his fight purse before tax is deducted.

Let’s hope none of you buy into the fact that MMA fighters are financially sound, despite what people in higher positions want you to believe. When a UFC fighter that was slated to appear on The Ultimate Fighter has to resort to asking people on the internet to fund her camp, there’s a large disparity in pay structure.

Published on June 26, 2013 at 3:56 pm
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