Is Gilbert Melendez’s New Contract Proof Of The UFC’s ‘Just Bleed’ Mentality?
The details behind Gilbert Melendez’s new contract with the UFC have been revealed, and the former Strikeforce lightweight champion could well become one of the highest paid fighters ever. Check out the list of proviso’s via Mike Drahota
“According to several sources, Melendez’s deal guarantees that at least 75 percent of the 31-year-old’s fights will be contested on pay-per-view moving forward. Additionally, income earned from Melendez’s contracted pay-per-view points will kick in at a lower minimum buy rate than for any contract in UFC history, meaning Melendez will still earn pay-per-view point earnings on an event that performs poorly at the box office.”
“Melendez will also earn pay-per-view income regardless of his placement on an event, i.e., regardless of whether he fights in the main event, co-main event or main card.”
In terms of compensation and risk of poor showings, this new contract deal is huge. Regardless of whether the event is a flop, ‘El Nino’ is going to be making bank. The move shows that even as a 1-1 UFC fighter, you can do better than the number one ranked fighter in the division, just by fighting exciting.
Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson misses out on a title shot in a division which he is top of, and Melendez lands a huge PPV based deal on the back of a FOTY performance against Diego Sanchez, eight months ago. It seems the UFC is prescribing to the ‘Just bleed’ state of mind.
I agree that Melendez is an awesome fighter, with a lot of potential; but I can’t help but feel like this move by the UFC brass further supports the opinion that MMA going mainstream will never take off. Rankings become obsolete in situations like this, but it seems I may be the only one not happy with this decision. What’s your take?
