UFC is a promotion that tends to extract every bit of value they possibly could from the athletes. The promotion has a number of lucrative partnerships that see all the profits go to the very top and very little reward for the actual talent.
UFC’s Crypto.com sponsorships is often mentioned in this context. Promotion got a deal for 175$ million over 10 years while the athletes were to get $50,000 per PPV event – and only for pay-per-view events.
However the Crypto bonus was called off after UFC 274 to be retooled and suspiciously never mentioned again. Crypto investors have fallen on hard times in 2022 and the market is a shade of what it once was so it’s not exactly surprising.
In an attempt to court the younger audience and go viral, UFC signed Hasbulla to promote the events. Hasbulla merch has been outrageously priced from the get go but some fans learned that UFC is taking the schtick quite far when it comes to pricing Hasbulla signed items.
Hasbulla signed replica belt is priced at the staggering $399.99 plus shipping.
To add insult to injury UFC is also selling some novelty items made from the canvas on which the events are helf. For instance, UFC 279 canvas items will set you back from $80 for a keychain to $200 for a framed part and a picture from the event.
And if you think $80 for a key chain is too much you could always get one of the items currently on auction.
UFC’s rising star, Khamzat Chimaev is auctioning off a walk out hoodie from UFC 279 and the price has gone close to $2000.
Of course this is nothing compared to Valentina Shevchenko used shorts during the UFC 275 PPV event, in Singapore.Â
It’s fairly insane seeing bits of canvas going for extraordinary prices when UFC is low-balling headliners. Recently UFC Perth fell apart after it was revealed UFC had never signed Paulo Costa to headline against Robert Whittaker.
Costa went on to reveal he stood to win just $70,000 to show (and $70,000 to win) – and that’s a PPV card as well.