When discussing fighter salaries, Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White is fond of saying, "I take care of my guys."
Some of those guys aren't so sure.
Last week, UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture walked away from the organization with two fights left on his contract, in part, due to what he thought was low pay compared to other UFC stars. He also told Sherdog.com that the UFC lied to him about being the second-highest paid fighter in the promotion.
Couture is not alone when it comes to being dissatisfied with how the UFC doles out dollars. Light heavyweight Dan Henderson, who was in Houston on Saturday to conduct a clinic at Miletich Fighting Systems, says dealing with the UFC on compensation and contracts is challenging and not as easy as previous negotiations with Pride Fighting Championships.
"It seems like guys could be happier," Henderson said. "Part of the problem is that they had a couple, three bad shows and got killed in Ireland (at UFC 72) on the money. And, possibly the fact that they spent a boatload of money buying Pride and didn't do anything with it; they are trying to make some cutbacks, and the fighters aren't overly happy about that."
The 37-year-old Team Quest fighter has one bout left on the Pride contract he brought with him to the UFC. White offered an extension, but Henderson didn't bite. He thought the offer was low and chose to take the fight against Quinton Jackson at UFC 75 under the terms of his Pride contract, which left him with no opportunity for a fight bonus.
Despite assurances from White that he would be taken care of in the UFC, Henderson is waiting for what he thinks is an equitable offer.
"He was telling me that, 'We haven't had guys leaving. We take care of the guys, that's why they're happy. We don't want guys that are unhappy,' " Henderson said about initial negotiations with White. "I haven't seen that."
At this point, though, Henderson isn't ready to follow Couture out the UFC door.
His preference is to stay with the organization and he wants to "give the UFC a chance" to bring another offer to the table.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5213681.html
Some of those guys aren't so sure.
Last week, UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture walked away from the organization with two fights left on his contract, in part, due to what he thought was low pay compared to other UFC stars. He also told Sherdog.com that the UFC lied to him about being the second-highest paid fighter in the promotion.
Couture is not alone when it comes to being dissatisfied with how the UFC doles out dollars. Light heavyweight Dan Henderson, who was in Houston on Saturday to conduct a clinic at Miletich Fighting Systems, says dealing with the UFC on compensation and contracts is challenging and not as easy as previous negotiations with Pride Fighting Championships.
"It seems like guys could be happier," Henderson said. "Part of the problem is that they had a couple, three bad shows and got killed in Ireland (at UFC 72) on the money. And, possibly the fact that they spent a boatload of money buying Pride and didn't do anything with it; they are trying to make some cutbacks, and the fighters aren't overly happy about that."
The 37-year-old Team Quest fighter has one bout left on the Pride contract he brought with him to the UFC. White offered an extension, but Henderson didn't bite. He thought the offer was low and chose to take the fight against Quinton Jackson at UFC 75 under the terms of his Pride contract, which left him with no opportunity for a fight bonus.
Despite assurances from White that he would be taken care of in the UFC, Henderson is waiting for what he thinks is an equitable offer.
"He was telling me that, 'We haven't had guys leaving. We take care of the guys, that's why they're happy. We don't want guys that are unhappy,' " Henderson said about initial negotiations with White. "I haven't seen that."
At this point, though, Henderson isn't ready to follow Couture out the UFC door.
His preference is to stay with the organization and he wants to "give the UFC a chance" to bring another offer to the table.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5213681.html
