The earnings of an MMA fighter can be hard and the Lyman Good case is exemplifying that the life in the cage may not be lucrative.
Good is currently suing the nutritional supplement company Gaspari Nutrition and Hi-Tech Pharmaceutical. He claims caused him to fail a USADA drug test leaving him suspended and out of a payday. The attorneys for the defendants retained an economic expert to assess the possible damages sustained by Good.
Through the discovery process, Dr. Henry Fuentes obtained Good’s tax return for 2011 and stated in a declaration that he was not provided any other complete returns for the fighter. Dr. Fuentes studied Good’s returns and other information from the case in rendering the opinion that Good did not suffer economic damages based on his lawsuit.
Paul Gift’s Forbes article on Good’s breakdown of earnings also paints the picture of the meager earnings of Good. Despite some successful years as a fighter, he’s also had some lean ones which is reflected in his tax returns and earnings (or lack thereof).
The breakdown of expenses has the most going to his agent (who is also his attorney in this lawsuit). He also spends a lot on transportation. The life of a full-time fighter is a hard one as they rely on paydays from fights as their main source of income. According to the 2011 tax return, made money through fights and teaching martial arts classes. He did not have any other form of employment since 2009. In 2011, Good had more unemployment compensation than anything and of the income, he had to spend most of it for training.
It should be noted that Good lists his Reebok royalties of $1,000. The defense also concluded that Good made $77,236 in 2009, That year, Good won the Bellator Welterweight World Championship. In 2017, Good made $65,471. That year he only fought once but scored a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus on the UFC on Fox 25 card for his bout against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
So you want to be a fighter? From Lyman Good case. Defendant’s expert states that $18K of reported income is unemployment compensation. The rest. He grossed $20,769 wherein he had to SPEND $16,221. #MMA pic.twitter.com/fUiPRyObgA
— Jason Cruz (@dilletaunt) April 18, 2019
Good’s attorney (who is also his manager) has filed a motion to preclude the expert report from the yet to be set trial. If the court agrees, the expert report would not be considered as evidence in trial.
Payout Perspective:
The information is a glaring look at the unstable earnings of a fighter. Unlike top-tier fighters, the report indicates that Good does not have steady income from sponsors or any other investments which might generate income. This is one of the reasons why Stipe Miocic keeps his job as a fireman although its clear he could fight full-time. Yet, for most fighters, they live from fight to fight to make a living. MMA Payout will keep you posted on the trial.
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