Hey Not The Face! Podcast

UFC, the real predator UFC fighter pay has long been a topic of concern among fans and pundits, especially with the departure of Francis Ngannou earlier this year chewing up the news cycle. Ngannou would finally announce his historic PFL deal last week, setting tongues wagging and catching the attention of the entire community. The Cameroonian-born champion went to the negotiating table numerous t...

Francis Ngannou has been the most high profile free agent MMA has likely ever seen. Even when Fedor Emelianenko was in the UFC's offices all those years ago, trying to come to a deal that worked for all parties involved, it wasn't at this level. Francis has avenues that Fedor never did because boxing crossovers were extremely limited and the folks with Team Fedor had a line drawn in the sand, co-p...

UFC antitrust suit history At the end of 2014, a group of UFC fighters (some retired and some not) banded together and filed a class action lawsuit against the UFC and its parent company at the time, Zuffa, LLC. Fighters like Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Brandon Vera were named class representatives with a claim that the UFC manipulated the mixed martial arts industry in a way that harmed fighters’ abil...

Have you ever thought to yourself, 'Self, I need to know more about MMA managers. What am I to do?' Well, if you have, we've got the solution for you; a thorough explainer on what managers do, what credentials they must have, key differences between combat sports and stick-and-ball sports managers and more. If you were wondering how good or bad MMA managers are by comparison to their boxing forefa...

Comparing UFC and PFL contracts 1. Brief description of the type of contracts * Developmental * PFL * PFL Europe * Champion 2. Length of Contract * "Term" vs "Initial Term" 3. Contract extensions 4. Champion's Clause 5. Exclusive negotiating and matching rights 6. Details on pay * Playoff Pay * Incidentals & per diem 7. Sponsors & Merchandising 8. Arbitration & Class Action 9. Fighter responsibili...

Royalties * What do fighters get paid for? * What don’t fighters get paid for? * How much do fighters get? Sponsorship * How did we get here regarding fighter sponsors? * Outfitter policy/athlete kits - how does it work? * Sponsorships and appearance fees between fighters and sponsors arranged by the UFC. How does that work and how much does it pay? * Does the UFC take advantage of this? Video Gam...

How much were UFC fighters making from sponsors prior to the Reebok and Venom deals? I realize there is a lot of variation, but if you have a range or some examples, that would be helpful. And how much are they losing compared to what they were/are paid in the Reebok and Venom deals? Boxing promoters are apparently funneling money to sanctioning bodies through some form of lobbying. Can you explai...

* When were these new changes added? * Biggest changes * Section 25 * Section 12 * Section 9 * Section 4 * Code of Conduct The Hey Not the Face! podcast is an independent publication. Please subscribe to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heynottheface.sub...

STARTING POINT * How did we get here because both became free agents in different ways because they had very different contracts? * Was Ngannou released or did he leave after his contract ended? * What do you think the UFC really offered to him? * What about Jon Jones? DIAZ * What about the PFL/Jake Paul offer? * What about that Rizin offer? * What other options are out there for Nate? * Why is a...

PFL MMA * PFL likes to boast about being the clear #2, how are they really doing financially * What should we make about Jake Paul signing with them? What is his deal with the PFL? * Can the PFL be successful, especially with their PPV division? BELLATOR/RIZIN * Why are we putting these two together? * How did they do last year? * What about the rumors that Bellator is for sale? UFC * How did the...

Today’s episode continues our point-by-point breakdown of a current UFC contract, beginning on page 38. The contract in question belongs to Taila Santos. It should be noted that Ms. Santos didn’t volunteer her contract information to us. John legally obtained it via Brazil’s court system. The contracts were filed in Brazilian courts by Talia Santos’ former trainer Marcio Malko and former head coac...

Today’s episode concentrates on a current UFC contract, specifically, Taila Santos’ contract. It should be noted that Ms. Santos didn’t volunteer her contract information to us. John legally obtained it via Brazil’s court system. The contracts were filed in Brazilian courts by Talia Santos’ former trainer Marcio Malko and former head coach/manager Marcelo Brigadeiro as part of their individual law...

* What is the Ali Act? * How and why was it passed into law? * What does the Ali Act do? * What does it not do? (some of the myths) * How is it enforced, or is it even enforced? * What would the Ali Act do if it was expanded to MMA? * Could promoters have their own titles? * Would it destroy the UFC? * How was McGregor going to use the Ali Act to get out of his contract? * How can the Ali Act get...

1. What is a union? 2. Do fighters even want a union? 3. Can fighters form a union if they’re independent contractors? 4. How do you go about making a union? 5. So what are some of the things that make MMA so hard sport for unions to work? 6. Any positives for just trying to make a union? 7. How about an association? Could that help? The Hey Not the Face! podcast is an independent publication. Ple...

MMA vs pro wrestling history 1. Why do some people say that MMA is just pro wrestling? Is there a connection or link between the two? 2. So how did it become real again with MMA? 3. Is there a connection between pro wrestling and the UFC? 4. Are their also links between the business models? UFC vs WWE business 1. The UFC and WWE are often compared to each other, as both are the 800-pound gorillas...

* Who makes more boxers or MMA fighters? * Is it true that only the top boxers make any money and MMA have better paid undercards? Why is there such a difference between their pay? * To start off how do we know what they make? * How do we know what UFC and MMA fighters get paid? * What about boxers? How do we know what they get? * How does MMA vs boxing overall pay compare between the sports? * So...

EPISODE 01 1. What is Diaz’s current status and what happens next? (define “exclusive matching period”) 2. Promotions are claiming to be speaking to Nate Diaz, specifically Scott Coker, about possibly signing him. Ariel Helwani says that is patently untrue because of the matching period. Explain why that is (or isn’t) true. 3. Why did it take so long for Diaz to become a free agent? Wasn’t he supp...