Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz leading by example
“Treat yourself like a business and quit [saying] 'I'll fight for free’. That don't (sic) help nobody. That's bad karma for you for even f*cking (saying that). Stupid a** “Cowboy” Cerrone says that sh*t. That's bad karma for everybody. You'll fight for free, now everybody else has got to?
Why wouldn't they pay us? Because they got dumbs**ts like you fighting for free. Start acting like a businessman and start treating yourself like a business and get you’re a** paid for being in an Octagon. The whole world watches you fight."
There was a time when the Diaz brothers called out fighters, saying they would fight for free. But Nate has now realized that, much like boxing, the MMA fighters too can earn a good paycheck.
While UFC paid Conor 1 million dollars for showing up for his last fight, and half a million for Nate to show up on fight night, Dana later stated that Nate became a millionaire after beating Conor.
For years, fighters, pundits and the fans have been clamoring for better payment structures for the fighters. With the sponsorship money the fighters were earning, the payment issue wasn’t given much importance. But the Reebok deal has had a snowball effect, and the fighters have now begun to understand that they are businessmen, aside from being fighters.
This change can be attributed to Conor, who stood up for his beliefs, even if it meant he couldn’t fight at UFC 200. While this isn’t meant to point fingers at anyone, Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone are certainly at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
It will be interesting to see where this leads to, but the UFC fighters, much like NFL, NHL and baseball players deserve to make good money, especially when you consider the health hazards that come with the profession, along with the longevity of their careers.
