Jeff Smith 
@adminJon Jones has a fight on his hands but it’s not with Francis Ngannou, yet. The UFC superstar is still fighting with UFC president Dana White over what his payday should be for the fight against Ngannou. He and his manager feel $50 million is about right but the UFC is only offering $8 million.
Jones has been an icon in the world of MMA and is now taking the opportunity to use his status to try and bring more attention to how little most fighters get paid. While it is true that the stars of the UFC make millions, the undercard fighters struggle just to make ends meet.
If you look at the “average” salary of UFC fighters it looks like most are doing well, but this is not the case. The “average” gets skewed by top money earners like Jones and especially Connor McGregor. There are approximately 690 fighters under contract in the UFC, and less than 190 of them make a six figure salary. That doesn’t sound too bad, but then consider that almost 40% of the fighters make less than the average household income in the US.
Jones knows how this may look to a lot of people. He was very open with his comments on Steeve-O’s Wild Ride podcast “I know when you’re a multi-millionaire and you’re asking for more it makes you seem like this greedy person and I’m aware of all of this,” but he continued “But I’m also aware that I have the voice and the platform to make change.”
When you consider that UFC is worth about $7 billion and the contracts most fighters sign don’t allow for any personal endorsements or PPV (pay-preview) revenue sharing, you have to feel for these fighters.
“I know so many guys that are living in the Jackson’s MMA gym because they can’t afford to live in their own apartment, and they’re UFC fighters. So this is sad.” Jones added. So he has decided to make a stand. Jones has stated he is more than willing to sit out the rest of his contract (he still has five fights remaining) even if it takes years.
Even though the fight with Ngannou is not scheduled yet, Jones believes it will happen and continues to train and bulk up. Going from light heavyweight to heavyweight for the fight with Ngannou. At last report he was up to 250lbs, still giving up 13lbs to “The Predator.”
It looks like the odds makers are already weighing in before the fighters. They have Ngannou as the favorite at -185, while Jones comes in at +150. Ngannou has the big knock-out power, but conditioning may be an issue. The longer the fight goes Jones’ superior conditioning should give him the edge.
If and when this fight happens, there can be no doubt it will be one for the ages. Pitting, arguably, the greatest fighter in MMA history against the man who just KO’d the great heavyweight of all-time is one we all want to see.
