Complete Lorenzo Fertitta interview uncut and unedited from ESPN's 'Outside the Lines' (full video)

He will do wonders for the UFC in the next 10-20 years.

About who said what or who pays more. Clouding the main point. MMA/UFC fighters don’t get paid enough for the amount of work and effort they have to put in period. (Sans a few fighters)

The important thing is that the salaries are growing every year. UFC has to continue to grow and strike a balance between compensating the fighters and spending on other business concerns (and making a profit, which as a private entity it has every right to do).

Anyone who thinks the UFC doesn’t care about its fighters is ignoring the fact that they took the high road and offered a comprehensive health care package to each of its fighters without it having to get to the point where the fighters had to organize.

Dana, Lorenzo the people are ready for a new cable sports channel that knows how to tell the “truth” and appeals to the majority of Americans. Way to go! UFC is very young and what you have done with the sport is truly amazing. Running a successful and growing company is very difficult and ESPN is proof of the enemies and obstructionists that you have out there. At some point the UFC might go public but until then they don’t have to tell anybody what their financial position is. Three years of Obama and it’s a wonder that anybody knows how to start and run a business these days.

They say they’re not using disgruntled employees yet the main person interviewed, outside of Lorenzo, is ken shamrock. Someone that took them to court, lost, and now owes them 150k. I’m sure he doesn’t have an ax to grind.

ESPN’s take was much to do about nothing. That reporter flailed like a fish trying to pin Fetitta down but couldn’t. Fertitta had the numbers on his side. And when he threw the ESPN boxing numbers back at the reporter…WOW. Simply brilliant.

he tore this guy apart, i mean that interviewer never made one valid point so i don’t even understand how they could have edited this too make him look bad. must have took some seriously creative editing.

this interviewer just seemed to stutter through this interview. he just repeating the same things over and over. why didn’t they bring up the time when randy couture bitched about his pay. dana came out with some rather harsh remarks for him after that but ultimately he was a huge draw and he stayed in the ufc. they pay the guys based on how much they think they will be a draw for the crowd. the monopoly argument is just stupid. do they go after the nfl because they dominate the market of the cfl and arena league football. do they go after the nba because they don’t give a chance to smaller leagues to make and impact, no. the ufc is the pinnacle that fighters attain to just like nfl or the nba is the pinnacle that those players aspire to.

What about ESPN making money off of college sports? That doesnt seem very fair….

This is a great interview!!

I really don’t see how people/fighters/organisations can question the values, culture and methods of the UFC?!! They created this whole market for mainstream mma…prior to UFC (2005) as Lorenzo states there was no market.

Yes guys starting out might not get paid as much as they think they deserve but that’s the same in any job around the world, whether it’s training at university or starting out in an apprentice…just because u are a fighter doesn’t change that fact! What should be embraced is the fact that if u get to the top ur guaranteed to make good money!! Its pretty self explanatory tbh!

Also I cannot understand why they are negative that the UFC as company want to make money ? Isn’t that the whole point of a business Yes it might be a sport and a career path…but it also has to be viable!! For fuck sake how much does Microsoft turnover?? Are they paying everyone maximum with regards to 100% profit…no cos it’s a business and it makes no sense!!! Rant over

within the last 5 minutes, he comes accross so fustrated he hadn’t achieved what he set out to achieve. he even raises his voice at one point, when asking how much the UFC have made since 2005.

I’d say Dana succeeded in outing ESPN for the pieces of shit they are.
And Lorenzo fertita… is one smooth undercover mutha fucka

By Lorenzo. Getting it in before the camera is on him.

and the liberal pricks who think the undercard fighters should make as much as the ppv draws.

but as a fan, I question the fighter pay for the lower tier guys. Seems that "league minimum should be higher than 5k/5k or 6k/6k. And it also bothers me in a fight like Jardine vs the Iceman when Jardine wins and gets paid like 15k/15k or 20 and 20 and chucks make 250k plus ppv $$$$. That discrepancy doesn’t seem fair either. Seems like Zuffa really takes care of their stars and the entry guys really have to produce quickly to make decent money.

name me one job where i can be totally green, and untested, and yet still be paid millions of dollars simply because i “need to make a living?” NBA, NFL, MLB NHL, etc. they all have unions. what happened before there were unions? athletes sold cars in the off season, thats what.

like anyone who wants to be an actor, fighter director, model, singer, musician, etc. you will probably have to do it for free, or for very little money for a while until you make a name for yourself and people actually start caring that you exist. i mean, they only started recently airing the prelims. some of these guys were being paid to fight and they weren’t even putting it on TV. look, if you want bargaining power, start a union. but if you want your job to start upping your pay when you are a total unknown and bring in no revenue, let me know when you find that job. i’d like to work there.

its called paying your dues. you are entitled to nothing. put in your time, sacrifice, work hard and you will probably fail. thats just how it goes when you aren’t talented enough to make a living as an entertainer. its not a job. its a sport. its entertainment. a job is something where you go everyday, you do something and you get paid for it. i’m an actor, i’m in the union, and i made $500 for a commercial once (before i was in the union). and i was happy to do it because i want to be on TV. now that i’m in the union, they have to pay me what the union says i’m worth. if i had said “i need $2000 for this bc its my job.” they would have said "we’re going with the other guy.

if you want better bargaining power, start a union, like every other sport. or get a job that is more to your liking. i know plenty of people who would take $6000 to be in a UFC event. if you don’t think its worth it, do something else. i wouldn’t call MMA a real high percentage career choice. ESPN had a real axe to grind in this interview for sure. i think they resent that someone created a sport without their permission. and people like to watch it.