US mixed martial artist Paige VanZant took her fight out of the ring and up to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officials, calling for better pay for women in her sport, making her the latest high-profile professional athlete to take aim at a global pay gap.
The flyweight division fighter, listed as No. 14 in her category by the league, said that her contract with UFC would end after her next fight and a renewed agreement should reflect her value in the ring.
“I want a significant pay raise, to be completely honest,” VanZant told sports journalist Ariel Helwani in an interview this week. “If I’m going to keep breaking my arm, if I’m going to keep bleeding and sacrificing for this sport... I think it’s all fighters and all female fighters need to be recognized.”
The conversation around equal pay in professional sports has gained steam since members of the US women’s soccer team in March sued the US Soccer Federation, arguing that their pay and working conditions amounted to gender discrimination.
The prize money for the FIFA Women’s World Cup doubled to US$30 million this year, but that was dwarfed by the US$400 million available for last year’s men’s tournament.
They pay gap for mixed martial artists is similarly stark.
In this month’s UFC 241 event, the highest-paid male fighter earned more than US$700,000, while the top-paid female fighter earned less than US$30,000.
When VanZant signed her last UFC contract, she said she was told not to expect to be paid like a female champion, but wondered why her pay was only being compared with another woman instead of to fighters in general.
On her current contract, VanZant said she earns more money at home on her couch.
The athlete, who boasts 2 million Instagram followers, earns most of her income from social media sponsorships and TV appearances.
VanZant was among female athletes taking part in “Change in Play,” an Adidas campaign highlighting the challenges women face in sports, including a lack of coverage and unequal pay.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was