Tim Kennedy earlier this week criticized his employer, the UFC, for how much it pays its fighters, and tried to put into context for fans how difficult it can be to make a living as a professional fighter. On Thursday, however, Kennedy issued a statement on his official Facebook page, retracting his comments and apologizing for them. Kennedy, while a guest on the GrappleTalk podcast, characterized it as “pathetic” that so many fighters had to work a “day job” instead of being able to focus full-time on their fighting careers. Kennedy has various business interests and his military career along with what he makes from fighting, which he said doesn’t amount to much after expenses and taxes. “It would be slim pickings to survive off what I make in fighting,” he told GrappleTalk. “It’s a good thing I have another job because the UFC doesn’t pay very well.” Kennedy said his comments were taken out of context, but accepted responsibility for his statements, apologizing to the UFC, company president Dana White , CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, and matchmaker Joe Silva. Kennedy’s statement: “I recently made comments regarding fighter pay. The intent of these statements was to highlight that professional fighters incur significant expense associated with their preparations to fight and that fighter compensation is still not on par with other major sports.
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