It’s no secret that the UFC is raking in money hand over fist, but where the money’s going appears to be one. The mixed martial arts (MMA) company is selling out arenas all over the world. It just held its biggest ever promotion in North America on April 30^th when it sold 55,724 seats at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, for a live gate of $12.1 million. But the fighters are still being paid peanuts when compared to other sports, especially boxing.

This has led Nick Diaz, who’s signed with Strikeforce, to say he wants to enter boxing to make some real money. He’s hoping to take on former IBF and IBO super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy (25-4, 17 Kos), who’s now 33 years old and has lost three of his last four fights.

But UFC boss Dana White doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He admits that Diaz has a clause in his contract which states he’s allowed to box and that deal should be honored. But he doesn’t think it’s in Diaz’s best interests to do so and he’s going to try and talk the MMA fighter out of it. It could be that White doesn’t want one of his fighters being embarrassed in a boxing ring, because there’s not really any other reason to not wanting him to take on Lacy.

However, Diaz, who recently defended his welterweight crown for the third time, isn’t necessarily taking the fight to prove he can box. He said he’s overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated by Strikeforce, which is owned by the UFC.

You can’t blame Diaz for wanting to jump ship, at least temporarily, because MMA fighters are and have been grossly underpaid for years. When you look at the numbers, mixed martial artists are simply getting ripped off by somebody. Brock Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight king, took home $5.3 million in 2010, which was tops in the organization despite sky-high ticket prices and millions of pay-per-views sold.

Compare that to boxer Manny Pacquiao, who raked in $32 million and only had to fight twice to earn it. Boxing has long been associated with shady characters and the underworld, but compared to mixed martial arts, the elite boxers are making a hell of a living.

This is hard to understand since White would have you believe the UFC is a lot more popular than boxing and the pay-per-view numbers and live gates would support him. So just where is all of the money going? It’s definitely not going to the fighters who put their lives on the line every time they step into the octagon.

UFC fighters are getting a bigger piece of the pie these days, but it’s not enough. Kobe Bryant made $24.8 million last year for throwing a ball through a hoop and Alex Rodriguez took home $32 million for hitting a ball with a bat. MMA fighters are getting kicked in the face literally and figuratively when you consider what they’re getting paid.

For example, UFC 126, which was held in Las Vegas on Feb 5, drew a live gate of $3.6 million. It would have been higher, but more than 10 per cent of tickets were given away. The average price for a ticket was $373.00, ranging from $75 to $750. The base salary of all the fighters combined was just over $1.3 million, with the top salary being $275,000 and the lowest being just $6,000. Out of those salaries, insurance, taxes, and licenses etc. had to be deducted.

This means the fighters were paid off by just 36 per cent of the live gate, leaving 64 per cent as profit. However, we haven’t added in the money made from broadcasting the preliminary bouts on Spike TV and the pay per view totals. It was estimated that 750,000 pay-per-views were sold at about $50 a shot for $37.5 million. Therefore, the total gate was about $40 million, with the fighters receiving $1.3 million, which translates to just over three per cent.

Ironically it was a boxer, James Toney, who was paid the most at UFC 118. Toney embarrassed himself in the octagon and was paid $500,000 for lasting just 199 seconds against Randy Couture, who was paid $250,000. It was Toney’s first and last fight in the UFC. The headliner that night, lightweight champ Frankie Edgar, earned $96,000.

The UFC does have some overhead like everyone else and gives out bonuses at its card for things such as KO of the night and fight of the night. But when you see how little these guys are getting paid by Dana White’s organization, you can’t be blamed for thinking maybe Don King’s not such a bad guy after all.

The UFC’s quest for total domination within the MMA world took a giant step closer to realization with the purchasing of Strikeforce – rumored to be for $40million – the other day. But, really, what does the UFC plan to do with its former rival? The UFC was the major force anyway, so is buying Strikeforce just a way to kill off any competition? Or will the UFC allow Strikeforce to operate as a separate entity?

Well, Dana White, the UFC president, has insisted that Strikeforce will remain detached from his mixed martial arts organization, but also hinted that his leading fighters could well face the best Strikeforce has to offer in the not-too-distant future.

That’s all very exciting, but does this secondary plan not remind you of what has happened to boxing? How many different belts can be won for any single weight division for pugilists? Let’s see – we have the WBO, WBC, WBA, WBF, WBU, IBF, IBA, IBC, IBO, IBU and WPBF. That’s 11 in total  – and 10 too many.

MMA should not go down this path. Certainly, White has previously been unwilling to cross-promote and, although fans are eager to see the big names of both organizations fight, it should only happen under a single banner.

Essentially, either unite the organizations or allow them to remain self-governing and as independent as possible. A halfway house will result in a watered down product, although Strikeforce spokesman Mike Afromowitz has stated it will be “business as usual” for the companies.

It’s pretty obvious the UFC has still to make a definite decision on how to progress with Strikeforce, with White saying he “wouldn’t rule anything out”, but stressing that he wants to “put on the best fights that the fans want to see”. That’s what everyone wants, of course, so a complete integration is the only possible solution.

However, for now, Strikeforce – with veteran chief executive officer Scott Coker still in charge – is to carry on signing its own fighters and will remain on subscription channel Showtime through 2014.

Strikeforce also has promotions scheduled over the next few months throughout the United States. That TV deal and planned events would suggest that no amalgamation is forthcoming, unfortunately.

However, the UFC might use Strikeforce to penetrate global markets after Lorenzo Fertitta, the chairman of Zuffa – the sports promotion company that controls both organizations – admitted that “we’re not fulfilling what the demand is…going to London one time a year, we’re kind of shortchanging that market”.

Fertitta sees the benefits of Strikeforce as a way to have “more fighters, more options…the ability to have a stronger presence in a meaningful way”, primarily throughout Europe and Asia.

This is an interesting development as it may be that Zuffa promotes the UFC as the North American arm of MMA while utilizing Strikeforce as the overseas promotion. That could work. But the crossover of fighters is still a problem – as might be White’s relations with former UFC members – including Dan Henderson, Josh Barnett and Paul Daley – who quit his organization, and not always on the best of terms.

White has also criticized Coker and once referred to the promotion as “Strikefarce”, but he maintains that Strikeforce’s leading fighters should not be concerned as “Scott Coker is the guy who’s going to be running the day-to-day” business, before adding that fighters are “never going to have to deal with me, so it’s not a big deal”.

That might be true now, but what of the future when the UFC absorbs Strikeforce? It’s going to happen – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise as this exciting sport garners more fans and bigger bucks. The UFC brand is already thought to be worth anything from $1billion to $2billion, depending on who is quoted.

Remember World Extreme Cagefighting, the World Fighting Alliance and Pride Fighting Championships? Yes, they have all been incorporated into the UFC. So how will certain fighters fare under White once Strikeforce ceases to operate? There could be a few internal fights over the next few years. But it’s very rare that purchases of rival companies run completely smoothly.

However, White remains thoroughly optimistic right now, believing that “it’s a great day for the fans” as the UFC pushes into new markets, adding that “we need more fighters” to grow the sport.

This latest deal, as well as the vagueness of Strikeforce’s prospects, has left more questions to be answered. However, it seems no one is quite sure what the future holds – least of White, Coker and Fertitta.

UFC president Dana White might have emphasized that Strikeforce, although recently bought by his organization, will operate as a separate entity, but the not-too-distant future should see fantastic fights when, rather than if, the newly-bought promotion is merged into the ever-growing giant that is the UFC.

Yes, Zuffa’s purchase of the UFC’s main competitor in the United States is operating as normal, but that won’t last. So, which Strikeforce fighters can MMA fans hope to some day see fighting in the octagon? That’s a tough one to answer. But here is a dozen that would certainly add something to the mix:

1 Gilbert Melendez, lightweight (8-1 Strikeforce record):
this 28-year-old Californian is probably the most justifiable threat to the UFC’s best. Considered the second best lightweight, his combination of stamina, strength, wrestling, strategy and striking places him alongside Anthony Pettis and Gray Maynard as a leading challenger to Frank Edgar’s title.

2 Nick Diaz, welterweight, 27 (5-0 Strikeforce): an ex-UFC fighter, Diaz is the existing Strikeforce welterweight champ and hasn’t been beaten since 2007. The 27-year-old is one of only a few non-UFC welterweights that fans want to see face Canadian Georges St-Pierre. The Californian defends the title on April 9 at San Diego’s Valley View Casino Arena against unpopular Englishman Paul Daley.

3 Alistair Overeem, heavyweight (3-0 Strikeforce): this 30-year-old Dutchman would be a major asset to the UFC’s heavyweight category with his undiluted power and striking. A fight against Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos or Brock Lesnar would pack out any arena.

4 Dan Henderson, light-heavyweight (Strikeforce 2-1):
yet another Californian, 40-year-old Henderson – with only one fight remaining on his Strikeforce deal – might well be the earliest star to switch to the UFC, a mere two years after leaving White’s organization. He is the current light-heavyweight champion after defeating Rafael Cavalcante last weekend.

5 Gegard Mousasi, light-heavyweight (2-1 Strikeforce): his considered style and killer instinct make him an appealing addition. The 25-year-old Armenian must, however, plan more when facing quality fighters and strengthen his takedown defense.

6 Muhammed Lawal, light-heavyweight (2-1 Strikeforce):
if this 30-year-old from Tennessee with an affable personality can improve his striking and manage his stamina, he could be a massive star.

7 Tim Kennedy, middleweight (4-1 Strikeforce):
an Army Special Forces vet, this 31-year-old – and another Californian – would be a wonderful addition to the UFC middleweight division.

8 Antonio Silva, heavyweight (3-1 Strikeforce): a 31-year-old Brazilian who is rapidly emerging as one of the most well-rounded fighters in his weight.

9 Fabricio Werdum, heavyweight (3-0 Strikeforce): another big Brazilian whose jiu-jitsu is impressive. It would be spectacular to see this 33-year-old fight Carwin, Velasquez, Mir, dos Santos and Lesnar.

10 Ronaldo Souza, middleweight (4-0 Strikeforce): a submission specialist, this third Brazilian, aged 31, would provide a nice counterpoint to the grappling/wrestling styles of such as Japanese star Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen.

11 Rafael Cavalcante, light-heavyweight (3-2 Strikeforce): the fourth Brazilian in our dozen possesses an outstanding ground game, while the UFC could use this 30-year-old to provide greater depth to its light-heavyweight division.

12 Robbie Lawler, middleweight (2-3 Strikeforce): the final Californian on our list of possibles, this 28-year-old can supply one-punch KOs. Crowds lap that up.

Get ready for an almighty encounter with UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones when these two guys clash for the light-heavyweight crown at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on March 19 – to be shown live on Spike TV.

With teammate Rashad Evans injured, rising star Jon ‘Bones’ Jones has stepped in on short notice to challenge champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua – but he might regret that eagerness to climb up the MMA ladder by facing this Brazilian colossus so soon in his career.

Jones’ previous outing, at last month’s UFC 126, saw him hand the previously undefeated Ryan Bader a first imperfection of his pro career. Right after that victory, the 23-year-old was asked by UFC president Dana White to replace Evans. Casting aside any doubts, Jones swiftly agreed to the fight.

But will this dream fight turn into a nightmare knockout for No.1 contender Jones? It seems likely, given Rua’s experience, aggression and talent.

However, working in Jones’ favor is the fact Rua is just returning from a third knee op following his knockout win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 that gave him the 205lb title in Montreal on May 8, 2010. That’s a long time out of the octagon.

The dynamic Jones might well be the favorite, but Rua’s older brother, Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua, reckons the American will “get hurt when my brother’s punches find his face”. That’s the crunch, right there. Can Jones cope with the 29-year-old’s shots to the face? Murilo doesn’t think so, although he expects “a hell of a good fight” as Jones is “one of the toughest fighters on MMA”.

However, Jones has improved with every fight, almost strolling through the majority of bouts, and finding no one to halt his rapid rise. Every encounter has been dubbed his “toughest challenge” so far. None have been tough, never mind a challenge.

Rochester’s Jones is also determined to become the youngest champion in UFC history, although a more feasible outcome is he will have to wait just a little while longer to dethrone a laidback and relaxed Rua. Then again, his unorthodox approach might just unsettle the champ.

MMA legend Rua, meanwhile, really isn’t interested in the switch of opponent that has added even greater intrigue to UFC 128, stating that, although “Rashad got injured, which is a shame, they are similar and I will continue to train with the same strategy, which is to focus on striking and wrestling”.

Rua’s style will not come as a surprise to Jones, but whether he is capable of halting the legend’s notoriously vicious punches and kicks is another question. Let’s see how his face stands up to a first pummeling.

Murila is in no doubt, though, that “my brother is the favorite for the experience he has”, while adding that “he’s fought tougher guys than Jones” and the matchup will just “be another fight on his career”.

Rua, of course, chooses more respectful words when stating that “they [Jones and Evans] are both tough fighters and the only difference is their body types”.

One certainty is that this is likely to be a contender for fight of the year – the young pretender to the throne challenging the reigning champion and star of the sport.

Be prepared for an exciting evening when the main card gets underway at 9pm ET/6pm PT with American Brendan Schaub’s heavyweight bout with Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, of Croatia.

Ryan Couture cracks a wide smile and laughs out when asked if he ever gets the better of his famous father during the few opportunities he gets to train with Randy at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. “No,” he says when he regains his composure, “I don’t think I ever will, probably.”

As Ryan speaks it is clear he refuses to live in his father’s shadow and does not even dream of living up to that legend at this point in his young career. He is focused and humble. Randy Couture is not always able to be at the gym to mold his son into a future champion, but when he is there Ryan says they do have a good time training together. As Ryan Couture prepares for his Challenger Series match-up tonight with Lee Higgins, Randy is filming another movie. Though they train in the same place from time to time, they live in different worlds when it comes to fighting, and Ryan is very comfortable with that.

Ryan considers living up to his father’s legendary status in the sport someday as too big a goal to focus on at this stage of his career. His mission is simply “to be the best fighter I can be.” The large, expansive Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas is home to many of the world’s most famous MMA fighters. Ryan credits the trainers, coaches, fighters, atmosphere, and facility for bringing him this far into the sport of MMA.

His dad never tried to talk him out of following in his footsteps, Ryan maintains. “He’s always been real supportive just of me doin’ what I wanna do and what makes me happy,” he said. He’s been a fan of the sport for over a decade, since his father started fighting and he took an interest in his career. Around 5 years ago the 20-something Captain America’s son got into training in MMA as a hobby. As the old story goes, Ryan recalls, “The more I did it, the more I loved it.”

His ultimate goal in the sport has a nice one-day-at-a-time ring to it. “I just want to continue having fun and growing and improving as a fighter and see how far I can take it,” he explains. Already, Ryan seems to understand the schedule, routine, and structure of training camp is important. So is the constant need to explore new and proven techniques and how to blend them all together. Like most fighters, he lives for fight night when he gets to see “all that work pay off.”

The passion Ryan has for MMA is due to the fact that the sport offers “a variety of different challenges, both physical and mental.” He thrives on learning something new every day and “pushing myself to the limit.” He’s found a quick home in Showtime’s Friday Night “Challenger Series” put on by Strikeforce and featuring up and coming fighters like his 2-0 opponent Lee Higgins, who won both of his first two fights by submission. As for his own favorite submission move, Ryan favors the triangle choke.

Ryan really appreciates the exposure offered by the Strikeforce and Showtime collaboration. He likes the fact that the Challenger Series allows fighters to “cut our teeth” on a bigger stage than they would be on if they were having to fight on a variety of regional and local shows. It’s clear Ryan’s still ready for a long career when he affirms his plans to stick with the sport through thick and thin. The 28-year old MMA prospect promises to fight “as long as my body holds up.”

Ryan is confident in Strikeforce’s future and has no real desire to enter the ranks of the UFC. “Oh, I got no plans there,” he said when asked if he’d like to end up in the UFC. “I’m really happy with Strikeforce.” If all goes well and he continues to up his game he knows he may have a chance to fight for a title in Strikeforce someday, and the thought of that is enough to keep him motivated. He is inspired by the “homegrown approach” of the organization and the Challenger Series cards he fights on.

HIS OPPONENT

Lee Higgins is a tough, slick, talented fighter. Even Ryan agrees he’s a formidable foe. “He’s real aggressive, and I’ll be expecting him to bring the fight to me,” said Couture. “I’m looking forward to a good challenge.”

Higgins is not intimidated by the name of his opponent at all. “I can’t and won’t allow myself to get caught up in the hype of fighting a fighter with a very famous last name,” he said at a recent press conference. “Sure, there is extra motivation but I am not going to put any more pressure on myself. So, I have to treat this as just another fight. Besides, I’m fighting Ryan, not Randy. I’ve watched his tapes and broken them down. I’m ready to fight the fight. There is no pressure. If anything, the pressure is on Ryan. I’m looking forward to a great, exciting fight.’’

HE KNOWS WHAT HE’S GETTING INTO

Even though he looks the picture of health and seems confident, quiet, and established, Ryan Couture is smart enough to know there’s a long road ahead. It could be full of incredible obstacles and impossible odds. Talking to him you get the feeling he’s prepared for any scenario that might unfold for him in MMA. It’s clearly a measure of the good parenting he’s had, and having a famous father has done nothing but help in this case.

No matter how much pressure might be piled on his shoulders by the press, the fans, the coaches, or even his own father, Ryan isn’t bothered by any comparisons that might be made between him and his dad Randy.

“I think people expect a lot of things from me and they pay a lot more close attention to me than they would if it wasn’t for him, but I don’t resent that at all,” Ryan maintained. “I knew that’s what I was getting into when I started doing this.”