Report: Huerta and UFC “far apart” on contract negotiations
August 6, 2008 by Adam Morgan
Dave Meltzer, in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer, says that the UFC and Roger Huerta are “far apart” regarding contract negotiations. Huerta has one fight left on his contract after the upcoming fight with Kenny Florian this weekend. If he doesn’t renegotiate soon then there’s a very real possibility of missing out on a title shot should he win on Saturday. MMA Mania has the exact wording from Meltzer:
“Huerta, who has one fight left on his contact after the Florian fight, is far apart with UFC on terms for a renewal. Huerta, who has gotten a new agent, was asking for six-figures guaranteed per fight as well as points on the PPV, in negotiations that haven’t gone well for some time. That’s a better deal then [BJ] Penn, so he wasn’t going to get it. The UFC position is that they groomed Huerta and pushed him hard and were careful of his opponents, with the exception of Clay Guida….”
It’s really unbelievable to me that Huerta could possibly be asking for more money than B.J. Penn makes. Penn is not only the current lightweight champion but one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world with victories over some of the best in the game. Penn has earned the kind of money that he’s making right now. With the exception of Clay Guida, who is truly a lightweight gatekeeper, who has Huerta beaten to command that type of money? The answer is no one.
Now, should he beat Florian on Saturday then we might be singing a different tune. Florian is a great fighter who is on a roll and improves each and every time out. Right now, in my eyes, he is the number one contender for the title. A win over Florian for Huerta would go a long way in commanding top-dollar from the UFC and cementing his spot at the top of the lightweight division.
Huerta continues to talk about receiving a title shot, but if he’s not close to another deal then there’s no real possibility of him fighting for the title even if he wins. The UFC has made it abundantly clear that if you have one fight left on your contract then you are not fighting for the title even if you are the number one contender. They want fighters who are going to stick around and defend the title, not guys who are going to fight for the title, possibly win it, and then vacate it because they’re looking for more money. Huerta is stuck between a rock and a hard place right now and the only way out is to beat Florian on Saturday and that’s an extremely tall task.
Certainly possible, depending on Latino PPV buy rates, that Huerta can demand more money than BJ.
BJ is lightyear’s ahead of Roger. From a fighting standpoint, I think Huerta would lose. 5 out of 5. BJ Penn could also teach him a thing or two about how thing’s work on the inside.
If Roger want’s to start some things. Going public, whatever the case. He just better back it up. He’ll have to own up to his demand’s when his time to fight comes.
Win or lose. If he can play his card’s right. He can be very sucessfull staying right where he is. He’s gonna have to earn it. I think Roger can be one of the best. But can he defeat Kenny first? I’m not sure just yet.
Saturday will bring answer’s with many question’s and what if’s. Great event’s like this will happen more and more over time. With this, fighter pay will increase and the contract’s will get better. Bigger. It all comes down to money. Earn it and you will get paid. Win or lose. Just scrap!!!
Huerta is really starting to become a big baby when it comes to fighter pay. $100k guaranteed? Please! That’s quite a bit for a guy that a) hasn’t been tested b) hasn’t proven to be a draw.
I think the guy should get a new agent. What is josh koscheck making? Maybe 70-30? And huerta thinks he’s going to get 100k guaranteed plus points from the PPV? hahaha.
Huerta will not quit, it will be a war for sure. I give it a ko in the 3rd for florian. Florian is the man right now.
you really have to wonder who advises some of these guys. Well, maybe that is the point and no one is advising them. i mean what does Roger hope to gain with keeping this going? his options are very limited outside of the UFC, with the only viable one being either DREAM or EliteXC. well, hopefully he doesn’t throw his career away too fast.
Huerta is extremely over rated. Adam Morgan pointed it out well in the article. The UFC has been giving him the easiest path to the title that they can. He will lose to Florian and will have no room to negotiate. If he was smart he would take what he can get before the Florian fight because he is only going to be offered less after the fight.
Because he is marketable, is that the reason he thinks he deserves more than he has earned? Maybe all the attention he has recieved from the media, and his face displayed on magazine covers has his head inflated 100 X its normal size? Makes me want to slap him in the mouth……………and then run really really fast because I do not fancy confrontations.
That is actually more than I had heard, which was something around 50+50 (More than double his current pay).
If so, he will be heading elsewhere, because I can’t see anyone paying him that much right now.
I do think Roger has a tremendous upside, but he is still quite a ways from the top of the LW food chain.
maybe bj should be making more money and then huerta’s asking for a raise wouldn’t seem like such a big deal. when i heard about r.h. ’s $50 per diem i had to laugh. shit, i don’t have an education besides a trade certificate in concrete masonry and i wouldn’t take that offer at all. not everyone gets to start a mma school after taking years of abuse in the fight game . their bodies sometimes get destroyed, no medical, no nothing. after this post i’m gonna go to bed, tomorrow i’ll be at work saving money, getting benefits and rrsps. i truly believe that every month after i buy my pay per view that these guys should get a bit of financial security like i do.
J.
Roger made 131k last year on disclosed pay alone. He is hardly struggling.
As far as medical goes, they are covered for anything that happens while competing, but not while training.
But you bring up a very good point: Fighters, like other pro athletes, should be sitting down for financial advisers.
As i said, Roger made 131k last year not including any sponsorship money or performance bonuses. Ideally, he should be investing a portion for his future. I doubt that many fighters are doing so. None of us will work forever, so we all need to look towards the future.
If correct, Roger is looking for a deal that, with ppv points, would pay a minimum of 700k per fight. Personally, I just don’t see the logic in paying that kind of money to a relatively popular, yet untested fighter.
If he beats Ken Florian, he will have more bargining power, but he is not going to get himself a deal that is close to what Anderson Silva makes.
I agree Florian will beat him down but why not ask for whatever you want? It’s called a negotiation. Even if he thinks he’s too high and mighty for the UFC (he might be) let him leave. He was the SI cover boy and gets a huge Latino audience. He can make money elsewhere if he wishes.
God I hope he resigns for the BJ fight at least. Id love to see his overrated ass be humbled.
The UFC should make a deal with Huerta: Fight BJ Penn, and if you win you get your “six-figure contract” BUT if you lose, you continue your current contract. Also, make this offer public, and have BJ Penn come out and taunt Huerta…
Then “Mr Mexico” (who isn’t even a Mexican national) would be forced to fight BJ and would also LOSE to BJ. Any way you cut it, I think it would probably shut Huerta up.
The thing with Huerta is that we have seen him fight lesser competition and it has left us wanting to see him fight tougher opponents. If he leaves the UFC that will not happen. Who else has enough talent for him to have 3-4 good fights a year? Most people are tired of watching him beat guys in the lower tiers so he would not be a consistent big draw for another organization. He might get a couple of big dollar fights somewhere else but in the long run he could make more in the UFC.
I agree with posters #5,#9 & #10. These kids really don’t have an understanding of the money train and need to properly prepare for their future correctly. These fighters need to understand (possibly through an orientation program with an officer of the company) that they are a valued commodity and should plan ahead. Read: not just lip service here. If they have a beef with the company, there’s always other companies that they can work for, just like the rest of us.
Jay K.
Some of these guys need to learn to save their money too, I was watching a video of BJ Penn surprising some fighter at his house while he was in bed, I think it was Heath Herring. His bedroom has like roman style fountains and all kinds of ridiculous shit going on.
Not wise IMO.
I don’t have a problem with the man seeking more money but I hate it when they complain in public and leak information about negotiations. How about he (or his agent) act professional for a change.
Maybe they should throw in a sombrero with their offer to Huerta. What greedy mexican doesn’t love a good sombrero. This guy is in over his head and I hope Florian doesn’t just win, I hope he hurts him, and puts him back in check.
Roger should have never opened his mouth. He should know that any PR stunt he pulls isnt going to win him favors just like Randy. I think Dana will bury him….the UFC can market anyone they want as long as they are a decent fighter…..so Roger’s is easily replaceable. I hope Kenny puts a couple cracks in his head….to wake him up. Just because he was on the cover of SI doesnt make him a immediate superstar. He has a long way to go to even be in the same sentence as BJ Penn, GSP, Chuck…hell even Matt Serra…lol
I understand having some pride in your heritage, Im a proud Irish dude. But these mexicans are a confused lot. The mexican flag is symbolic of one of the worst governments in the hemisphere, and you have nitwits like Roger and Tito sporting it all over the place. That half American half Mexican flag is a confused retarded abomination.
spot on by ks - they are trying to court the latino audience, and I thought trying to get a presence in mexico as well - Huerta can’t hurt. Mind you, we saw what they did with Ortiz.
It surprises me that MMA fans can possibly complain that:
1) UFC fighters are underpaid
2) UFC fighters want too much money
For the record, I don’t think they are underpaid, but kudos to Huerta if he wants to fight for more. You should all be supporting Huerta’s efforts, not that he necessarily “deserves” it, but because the only way for fighters to earn more money if by demanding it from Zuffa for themselves.
Hmmm . . . Huerta’s “new agent” wouldn’t happen to be Drew Rosenhaus, would it?
Who cares what Huerta is asking for. Ask why is BJ not paid better if he’s that good. It’s up to each fighter to work out his deal. Don’t ask for less just because the other guy gets less.
What ever happened to proving your worth first?
“Who cares what Huerta is asking for. Ask why is BJ not paid better if he’s that good.”
I’m sure BJ is getting paid just fine. The mere fact that Huerta is asking for the same amount as someone who had A) headlined successful PPVs B) has held gold in two different divisions and C) is already a legend in this sport is insulting when the UFC has feed his cans to bolster his star power and record.
The UFC built Huerta from the ground up. He’s been getting cans for most of his fights to build on his magazine cover “fame”. I can’t believe he let it go to his head like that. Like any other org is going to pay him that much.