Sex workers vs. cage fighters: who wins the exploitation sweepstakes?
If fighters are more like sex workers than NFL players, where's the OnlyFans for MMA?
“Professional fighting is, by its nature, inherently exploitative. Historically, fighters have had more in common with sex workers than they do with NFL players.” — Ben Fowlkes
I thought of Ben Fowlke’s quote about fighters and sex workers over the weekend when I saw the following online posts featuring people complaining about what they got when they paid former UFC star Nick Diaz for a “Cameo.”
Cameo is a web service that promises users can “access thousands of celebrities and request a personalized video message for any occasion.”
From my understanding, this boils down to paying washed-up sitcom stars a couple hundred bucks to send your cousin a happy birthday video or whatever.
Allegedly, and as he so often does, Nick Diaz failed to get with the program.
“Nick Diaz is sending people blank videos on Cameo. People aren’t too happy with that.”
"Are you kidding me?? A 3 second video of a black screen and talking in the background? Get off the drugs nick, kids look up to you. What a disgrace. Video for a 14 year old birthday to a kid who absolutely idolises you, and this is what you give? Absolute rip off."
"SCAM!!!!!! nick diaz is a scammer sent a 3 second black video with static in the back WHAT A LOSER don't go on this website if you don't want to do it and just use people for their money weirdo tried to do something nice for a loved one and spent way too much money on this weirdo man"
Then I saw this post in the replies alleging “I think he has money problems. He started selling a lot of autographs on eBay recently.”
A quick search on eBay shows Nick Diaz selling autographed gloves, nunchaku, baseballs, toy belts, fight shorts, and photos.
Speaking of financial adventures, I saw this video below introduced by John Nash with “Feel for this mom, who's asking the court to get a UFC fighter to pay child support for their kid” and added the commentary “good luck seeing any money from a prelim fighter.” Oof.
If fighters are more like sex workers than NFL players, where's the OnlyFans for MMA?
Combining Ben’s insight about professional fighting being inherently exploitative with all these wince-inducing reminders that UFC fighters are broke as shit, made me think:
“Aren’t porn performers getting rich on OnlyFans? Why can’t fighters do that?”