"Huerta is one of a growing number of Zuffa-contracted fighter who feel that there is a disconnection between the company’s success and the way fighters are compensated. Huerta’s disillusionment with the UFC began when he did press tours for his employer in Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and London and received a $50 per diem for his troubles. It sounds like a a good deal until you factor in time away from training, friends, and family, days often stretch twelve hours or more, and an exchange rate of one UK pound for two American dollars. “Why do you think I don’t do PR for the UFC any more?” he asks.
He’s also unhappy with the terms of his current contract, but to Huerta, the press tours underscore a larger point: by and the large, Zuffa does not treat its contracted fighters with sufficient loyalty or respect. He argues that many UFC fighters barely make enough to cover their training expenses. He brings up teammate Keith Jardine repeatedly, incensed that a main event fighter is working for ten and ten- $10k to show and 10k to win - while his opponent regularly makes ten times as much.
"Huerta’s expression hardens and becomes more animated as talk turns to endorsements. The common counter-argument for complaints about fighter pay is that fighters often make more from endorsements and sponsorships than they do for competing. But Huerta has soured on the system after receiving lowball offers from companies who expect fighters to jump at the chance to endorse products. He rails against a Fortune 500 company for offering a deal to build him as a spokesman that included unpaid work. “Are you serious?” Huerta ask. “I know Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t doing appearances for free.”
“The truth is, I don’t really care if I fight in the UFC or somewhere else,” Huerta says. The fighter says he understands that Zuffa has to keep an eye on the bottom line, but he wants to work, “For a company that is as loyal to me as I am to them.”
Huerta has one fight left on his contract after he faces Kenny Florian at UFC 87 next Saturday. What will the UFC do? Will they do to him like they did to other fighters in the past year? Or will they realize that Huerta is the future in the division and retain his services? Stay tuned MMA fans.
MMAJunkie.com Had a chance to catch up with the writer of the article that is quoted below Neal Taflinger from Fight! Magazine.
"I never intended for those comments to be the focus of the story, only an illustration of one of the ways Huerta has come into his own as a fighter and a man in the last year," Taflinger said. "It's also clear in the context of the whole story that this isn't a selfish rant from a greedy fighter. Huerta is a smart guy and he wants what is best for himself now and in the future, but he also wants to help other fighters secure fair wages and honest treatment from promoters and sponsors."
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