UFC: Joe Rogan Isn’t A Fan Of Win Bonuses In MMA

Joe Rogan has become as recognisable with the UFC as the logo itself. And the long time commentator has stated that he is not a big fan of win bonuses within the sport.

The UFC pay both fighters a flat rate and then a bonus to the winner. The bonus is usually same as the flat rate. For example, if someone’s flat rate is $20,000, their win bonus is also $20,000.

Speaking on a recent episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast (as transcribed by BJPenn.com), he said that his first problem with this system is the incompetence of certain MMA judges. As a result a fighter can be deprived of his win bonus if the wrong fighter is crowned the winner.

“That win bonus, I do not like,” Rogan stated. “I have said this from the beginning, I just don’t think it’s fair. First of all, if you’re going to do a win bonus, you need to do something about the judging. You need to have a better scoring system, and you need to get rid of incompetence.

“In other states, it’s dire. I don’t want to name states, but there’s been states where we do fights where I’m just going ‘who watched that fight?’ How is this even possible? People just get f***ing robbed. So, if you have win bonuses, and a guy comes in and he’s getting $50,000, and then if he wins he gets another $50,000, you stole $50,000 from that guy by giving him incompetent judging.”

According to Rogan, the bonus policy also encourages a more defensive stance which can lead to uneventful competitions.

“If you’re a fighter, you’ve got to do your best to win. If that means take a guy down and hump him, and throw enough punches to keep the referee from standing you up, that’s $50,000 for you.”

In recent months, both the UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and the ‘BMF’ title holder Jorge Masvidal, have openly criticised how much they are paid by the UFC.

Do you agree with Joe Rogan? Do you think it’s time to explore a different payment structure in the UFC?

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