UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre is once again pushing the conversation around fighter pay. This time, he is placing responsibility on today’s biggest MMA stars to drive change from inside the spotlight.
The former two-division champion reflected on how the UFC’s business growth has shaped the sport and the financial gap between athletes and other major leagues.
“The UFC wanted to become the Vaseline of petrol jelly”
In the recent Youtube video of the podcast “TheMightyCast”, St-Pierre pointed to the UFC’s rise as the dominant force in MMA and how that success has limited fighter leverage over time.
“People, they don’t say, ‘Hey, I watch mixed martial arts.’ They’re gonna say, ‘I watch UFC,’ even if it’s not a UFC.
“So, they call it UFC like we call it Vaseline instead of petroleum.”
“They took over, which is bad for the fighters because they have less power, and it’s good for the UFC for their business.”
He also highlighted the financial difference between MMA and other major sports leagues, where athletes often receive a far larger share of revenue compared to UFC fighters.
“The torch has been passed to them”
St-Pierre believes the responsibility to push for better pay has shifted to today’s active stars, who still have the visibility and leverage he once used during his prime.
“It’s the job of guys that are now popular like we were, like we fought for our commission.”
“I went head-to-head with the UFC on many things – for the fighter’s pay, for the image that we were portrayed as a stereotype.”
“I think now, it’s also the job of the celebrities … if they want fighters to be better treated, that’s their job to do it, while they’re on the spotlight right now.”