TORONTO — Rory MacDonald’s stoic glare is tough to crack. But mention the fact he’s set to become a father for the first time and you’ll see a smile creep across the UFC welterweight star’s visage.
That’s why, in addition to facing Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC Ottawa event, the 26-year-old Canadian faces the biggest decision of his career.
MacDonald’s tilt with Thompson is the final bout on his current contract and, unlike most high-end talent in the UFC, he is choosing to fight it out and test free agency.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking [about fatherhood]…It’s given me a different approach as far as my concerns about my finances and stuff,” MacDonald told Sportsnet. “Before I wasn’t too worried. I was comfortable with what I have. I was not a very rich kid growing up so I don’t need a lot to be happy, but now that I have a daughter on the way I just want to have money for her so she can do what she wants. So she’s comfortable and happy her whole life.”
MacDonald’s last fight was at UFC 189 roughly 11 months ago. A tremendous fight, but a gruesome one. MacDonald’s face looked like it had been put through a wood chipper as he suffered a shattered nose in a gory, fifth-round TKO loss to 170-pound champion Robbie Lawler. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, MacDonald’s base salary that night was US$59,000 (had he been victorious, that $59,000 would have doubled with a win bonus). It was the consensus fight of the year and widely regarded as one of the best title fights in UFC history, so he did earn a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus plus an additional $30,000 as part of the UFC-Reebok sponsorship payouts.
On top of all that, MacDonald signed an individual sponsorship agreement with Reebok just prior to the bout and the UFC often gives its fighters additional undisclosed bonuses — the company won’t divulge specific details though. So, financially speaking, UFC 189 was not a bad night altogether for MacDonald.
However, his overall earnings are quite meagre compared to many other UFC stars and other high-level professional athletes when you take into consideration a few factors. First of all, that was his only fight in 2015. Second, the $30,000 Reebok bonus was only that much because he was a title challenger. For non-title fights, MacDonald only qualifies for a $10,000 bonus from Reebok per fight, according to their pay scale.
MacDonald, who has fought 12 times since debuting in the UFC in 2010, told The Canadian Press earlier this year that he typically takes home around $50,000 per fight after paying taxes, management fees and other costs.
A win over Thompson on Saturday should earn MacDonald, still the No. 1-ranked contender at welterweight, another title shot. It will also guarantee him a much more bountiful contract regardless of whether it comes from the UFC, Bellator MMA or another organization.
This certainly isn’t the first time a fighter has negotiated a new contract. It literally happens on a daily basis. But MacDonald is in his prime. He truly is an elite fighter despite not being a champion. With Georges St-Pierre still out of the picture he also just happens to be the face of the UFC in Canada.
We seldom hear a fighter of MacDonald’s calibre, stature and ranking openly talk about the fact he will listen to offers from Bellator, the UFC’s main competitor.
There’s nothing in the world of MMA that can compare to being a top star in the UFC, but in recent months we have started seeing more and more high-level fighters make the move to Bellator.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Chiappetta wrote an insightful piece back in April called “The Grass Is Greener,” which illustrated some of the frustrations fighters Benson Henderson, Phil Davis, Josh Thomson and Matt Mitrione had with the UFC before signing with Bellator.
It doesn’t surprise former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk that established stars and veterans are choosing to jump ship.
“I think the fighters are getting sick of getting mistreated to be honest with you,” Sherk told Sportsnet in a recent phone conversation. “The UFC doesn’t pay the fighters anywhere near what they deserve. I can attest to that. I fought for many world titles at many big UFC events but when I walked away from the sport I had to get a job. They didn’t pay me enough money to retire on.”
Sherk last fought in 2010 and now flips houses for a living. The 42-year-old had two stints in the UFC where he went 8-4 with all of his losses coming to UFC champions or future champions.
When talking about fighter pay, the UFC’s oft-criticized Reebok sponsorship deal will always be brought up as a sticking point.
“If Bellator’s even willing to pay them even the same amount of money the UFC’s willing to pay them, with Bellator you have free rein with your sponsorships,” Sherk added. “You’re going to get paid another 40, 50, $60,000 per fight. In the UFC you’re going to get five grand from Reebok so I would have done the same thing if I was still competing.
“Everybody knows the fighters are getting burned on that deal. Speaking for myself, I actually made just as much if not more money in sponsorship than I did fighting. So, if I was still competing, half of my income would have been taken away with the Reebok deal.”
Would the prospect of earning extra sponsorship dollars and potentially putting more money in a savings account for his daughter be enough to lure MacDonald away from the UFC?
Or, if victorious at TD Place Arena on Saturday, does getting another title shot in addition to a pay raise outweigh the sponsorship element?
We’ll soon find out. One way or another the UFC will have to pay up or risk losing one of the best fighters on its roster.
“Win or lose I still have to negotiate a contract,” MacDonald said. “The talking is going to pick up after the fight. The only thing to do now is fight out the contract and see where the cards fall.”
MacDonald isn’t looking past Thompson in the least bit either. Probably a good idea considering the trail of bodies “Wonderboy” has left in his wake the last three years. He is focused on the challenge of the fight. What will follow is the challenge of negotiating a lucrative contract then, most important of all, the challenge of fatherhood.
And if one day MacDonald’s daughter says she wants to become a cage fighter?
“I just pray to God that never happens. I just want her to be a girly girl.”
