by:  Jack Bratcher

This is a Holiday 2008 UFC catalog I recently received in the mail.  It contains various UFC products such as T-Shirts, DVDs, hats, etc. that would make nice gift ideas for Christmas.

However, as I looked closer at the cover the other day I noticed the fighter silhouette was none other than our good buddy Frank Trigg.  That head is unmistakeable.

Now, Trigg hasn’t been a part of the UFC since 2005 when he fought GSP at UFC 54 so why are they stilll using his image to advertise their wares?

With all the recent controversy with Fitch and AKA signing away their likeness forever this seems like one of those cases where a fighter should have been compensated in my opinion. That is unless of course they signed away their likeness forever.

Is it a big deal?  Probably not.  But the thing is, Trigg probably never got a dime for them using that photograph.  If he were being hired as a model he would have at least been paid for it once but why is it just because someone fights for you they are required to sign away their image forever?  Why?  Because they are the big dogs and they can call the shots is the only answer I can come up with.

I asked Trigg about this image and he said  “the UFC owns the rights to it.” I asked what kind of wording was used in the contract that would give them rights to a picture like that for life and what he thought about it? Trigg said, “I have no idea about the wording. It makes no difference to me. They own the image so they can use it as much as they want.”

All I know is if I was a ring girl or a model and they were using my image on the cover of their magazine I would expect to be paid for it but for some reason as a fighter it seems to be ok.  I just don’t get it.

2 thoughts on “Pay me once, own me forever”
  1. Quit bitching. The UFC is running a business, if the fighters don’t understand or don’t like the terms of their contract, bounce. Randy did it years ago when the first video game came out. It’s not the end of the world. Just hire a lawyer who understands the terminology and how to negotiate it. Otherwise, go fight for someone else. Bottom line, the UFC is smart, that’s why they turned a $2 million investement into over $1 billion.

  2. if by “smart” you mean good at ripping people off, then yes the UFC is smart. the point of the article is that its more often than not a one way money street for the UFC with little trickling down for the fighters. many articles have shown that MMA fighters receive the least amount of profits of any professional sports.

    10 years from now the ufc will be selling fighter’s DNA from piss tests for cloning if they can get away with it.

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