WSOF creates new PPV model for 2015, will award 50 percent of revenue to participating fighters

World Series of Fighting (WSOF) is calling its new pay-per-view (PPV) business model, set to launch in the second half of 2015, a "game changer."

That's because the upstart mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has created a revenue sharing model that will pay 50 percent of all net revenue earned from live events to the fighters participating on the PPV telecasts.

From WSOF President Ray Sefo:

"This is a proud day for the sport of mixed martial arts and our organization and one that we hope will create a better opportunity for the fighters who put everything on the line every time they step inside the cage. Until now, one of the main things holding this sport back from becoming even bigger than it is today has been fighter compensation and the inability of the sport's top athletes to earn on par with top-level professional athletes in other sports. If fighters can't earn a fair share of the money at the top, the fighters lose hope or become disenchanted with the sport, which impacts their commitment to training and preparing properly for title fights. That is about to change, thanks to this major step we are taking now fighters will train harder than ever to become a champion giving the fans some epic championship bouts to enjoy. We want to thank NBC Sports and NBC for giving us such an amazing stage to grow World Series of Fighting since its debut."

I'm sure disgruntled fighters (like this guy) will be glad to hear of these new developments and while it may not affect combatants who aspire to compete for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) -- or those already locked into a ZUFFA contract -- it could go a long way toward attracting talent destined for Bellator or ONE FC, among other rival promotions.

Now all WSOF needs is a few fighters who can move the PPV needle, which isn't as easy as it sounds.