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UFC Releases Code of Conduct Aimed at Curbing Detrimental Behavior from Fighters

Over the last few years as the UFC has started to grow into one of the largest sports organizations in the world, the headaches of policing athletes outside of the cage has become a relevant problem. Ten years ago when the sport was still in its infanc…

Over the last few years as the UFC has started to grow into one of the largest sports organizations in the world, the headaches of policing athletes outside of the cage has become a relevant problem.

Ten years ago when the sport was still in its infancy, the number of fighters under UFC contract were still in double digits. The UFC’s growth in the worldwide marketplace, in terms of being recognized as a mainstream sport, also continues to expand.

Now with more than 400 fighters under contract, the UFC has joined the NFL, NBA and other major sports promotions by introducing a code of conduct for its athletes.

First announced earlier this year by UFC attorney Lawrence Epstein, the new code of conduct is meant as a guideline and education tool for the fighters the company employs.

The need for a code of conduct became ever apparent in the last couple of years with fighters unfortunately crossing boundaries in interviews and most notably on Twitter, with top names like Forrest Griffin making jokes about rape and other disconcerting subject matter that landed the UFC in hot water.

Now a newly introduced UFC code of conduct will serve as a tool to hopefully prevent further misconduct, but it also means fighters are now aware that punishment will come with bad behavior.

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, the UFC code of conduct was created in coordination with Washington D.C. law firm Covington & Burling, who also helped develop similar rules for leagues like the NFL and Major League Baseball.

The UFC code of conduct starts in very familiar language that covers the NFL in their document of the same name:

Fighters shall conduct themselves in accordance with commonly accepted standards of decency, social convention, and morals, and fighters will not commit any act or become involved in any situation or occurrence or make any statement which will reflect negatively upon or bring disrepute, contempt, scandal, ridicule or disdain to the fighter or the UFC

The broad sweeping statement is very close to that of the NFL’s code of conduct that states, “All persons associated with the NFL are required to avoid ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.'” (here is a link to the full NFL Code of Conduct)

The idea behind such a wide statement is to allow the NFL, or in this case the UFC, the right to crack down on a competitor for any such occurrence that could be seen as detrimental to the league or the image of the league.

In the UFC’s version of the policy they go into further explanation of the rules concerning athletes being involved in criminal activity as well as involvement with performance enhancing drugs. Unlike the NFL’s code of conduct, the UFC goes into more specifics in terms of other behavior that could be considered a violation of the policy.

Here are further terms outlined in the newly released UFC code of conduct policy:

Derogatory or offensive conduct, including without limitation insulting language, symbols, or actions about a person’s ethnic background, heritage, color, race, national origin, age, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation

Inappropriate physical, verbal and online behavior (such as inappropriate statements made via email, text messaging or social networks)

Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the organization or promotion of a UFC event, including without limitation, failure to deliver, engage in or otherwise execute any and all promotional responsibilities, or failure to return in a timely manner the accurate and complete documents, or information for immigration, licensing, medical, tax or athletic commission purposes and

Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the UFC.

UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione is the latest athlete to find himself under fire and was recently suspended under the new code of conduct after making inflammatory statements about transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

Mitrione isn’t the first person to make statements about Fox. As a matter of fact, UFC commentator Joe Rogan also recently went on a venomous rant about Fox on his personal podcast, but at least according to the language within the UFC code of conduct, it’s only aimed at fighters employed by the promotion.

That’s one major difference between the UFC and NFL code of conduct policies. In the NFL code of conduct, it clearly states the rules apply to “all players under contract; all coaches; all game officials; all full-time employees of the NFL, NFL clubs, and all NFL-related entities; all rookie players once they are selected in the NFL college draft; and all undrafted rookie players, unsigned veterans who were under contract in the prior League Year, and other prospective employees once they commence negotiations with a club concerning employment.”

It is a different situation for the UFC however because many of the people involved such as referees are actually employed by state athletic commissions and not the promotion itself. Rogan however is an employee of the UFC, but as of yet the organization hasn’t made any statement about his comments towards Fox.

“We’re not a bunch of police officers and we’re not sitting around all day trying to figure out ways to catch guys,” said Epstein in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. “We’re trying, hopefully, to push guys in the right direction and make sure they’re being respectful and not being disrespectful to any race, gender, etc.”

Former UFC champion Matt Hughes has also been hired by the promotion to serve as counsel to athletes and advise them on their careers in situations just like this. Hughes unfortunately has already dipped his big toe into controversy when asked during a fan Q&A about Fox and the former champion referred to her as “it.”

Still the UFC code of conduct is hopefully a step in the right direction as they look to expand into new markets and states like New York later this year. Some fans have voiced their opposition about the rules because it appears the UFC is somehow trying to censor fighters from speaking their minds, but the promotion has done nothing different than any other sports league in the world.

The new code of conduct policy also outlines prior to disciplinary action being handed down, the UFC will do an investigation into the infraction. The discipline handed down could vary from fines, suspensions or possible termination of service.

The UFC will also have an appeals process in place to allow fighters arbitration in situations where punishment has been handed out for any violation of the code of conduct.

If the UFC hopes to make it to the biggest heights and join the ranks of the NFL, a code of conduct to oversee fighters is absolutely necessary. Now the key is enforcing the rules on a consistent basis for all fighters across the board—whether they are undercard fighters or main event draws.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF Finalist Uriah Hall Learned How to Win by Accepting It Was Okay to Lose

There may not have been a more hyped fighter with equally devastating results in Ultimate Fighter history than this year’s finalist Uriah Hall. From day one to get into the house when Hall showed off his flashy striking style combined with slick ground…

There may not have been a more hyped fighter with equally devastating results in Ultimate Fighter history than this year’s finalist Uriah Hall.

From day one to get into the house when Hall showed off his flashy striking style combined with slick ground technique, the Jamaican-born competitor was an early favorite to go far in the competition.

His stock rose even higher when he launched his right leg in a spin kick that landed with an emphatic thud on the jaw of Adam Cella in a preliminary-round matchup. The knockout sent Cella crashing to the mat like a tree cut down in the forest. Everyone in the gym that day, including UFC President Dana White, were left with gaped mouths and jaws on the floor marveling at what Hall had just done.

Hall’s reign of terror continued when he knocked out Bubba McDaniels with a single punch in the first round of their fight. He found a way to top even that performance when he finished Dylan Andrews with strikes. Oh yeah, the strikes Hall landed were thrown from the bottom stuck in Andrews’ guard—a rare feat in mixed martial arts.

It’s with some amazement then to find out that Hall’s biggest motivation during his path of destruction came from coach Chael Sonnen and the message was “it’s okay to lose.”

“He said to me it was okay to lose. I’m used to him saying go out there and give 110 percent, and it’s good to have that attitude. Maybe for other guys they can go out there and say ‘failure is not an option’ and they have to give 210 percent. I’ve been doing that for a while, but it just didn’t feel right or click with me,” Hall told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “Chael just pretty much said ‘Hey, at the height of your level where you’re training at and what you’ve accomplished, it’s okay to fall.’

“That just pretty much took all the pressure off of me.”

Hall is quick to point out that early in his career everything boiled down to winning. There was no enjoyment in the sport that he loved. It was just about going out and getting the victory, and there was no other option.

Learning from his coach on the reality show, Hall was educated how to have fun again and the results followed. As the season replayed for Hall on television and each finish gained him more fans and more followers, he was always left with the thought that he had nothing to prove to anybody but himself.

“So going back to that spectacular kick and living up to expectations, I’m not living up to anybody’s expectations,” said Hall. “I know people are going to say ‘Oh man, this guy is good, he could be the next whatever.’ I don’t want to compare myself to anyone else. I’m me. If I go out there, I’m in that cage by myself. There’s no one in there with me so I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself.”

Heading into the show, Hall was hoping to end up on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ team. He knew Jones’ style in the cage and immediately thought they would click as coach and student. When he ended up on Sonnen’s team his first thought was he didn’t want to learn from the brash, unapologetic, trash-talking former middleweight contender.

Once he got to know Sonnen, however, he realized that there is a version that goes on television and says crazy things to get attention, and there is the coach he learned from during the season.

“I think he helped me understand my potential to a point where I’m learning how to use it,” Hall said about Sonnen.

Interesting enough, Hall’s opponent Kelvin Gastelum was also learning under the same coach because they happened to be on the same team all year long.

If Hall was the most hyped fighter on the show, Gastelum may have very well been the most underrated. Originally picked last by his coach, Gastelum quickly showed why he was a dark horse in the competition finishing off Bubba McDaniels in his first preliminary-round fight.

He then proceeded to knock out Collin Hart and submit Josh Samman on his way to the finals. Gastelum was also a good friend and training partner to Hall all season long, but both fighters knew from day one on the show that no matter what team they ended up on, they could eventually have to fight.

“There was a big advantage because you get to train with the person, you get to see what they have. I never try to look at anything and say ‘Oh this person’s not that good.’ I never underestimate anybody,” Hall said about Gastelum. “I know he’s a strong guy. His base is definitely his wrestling. His hands are amazing, he’s so quick. So I know his power and I know what to stay away from, but all in all I’m just ready to go out there and have some fun.”

Fun is the key word for Hall these days.

Certainly to the outsider looking in the pressure is ratcheted up because Hall was glorified all season as one of the most devastating competitors The Ultimate Fighter has ever seen. Hall doesn’t see it that way at all. He heeds his coach’s advice and win, lose or draw, Hall will be a happy man inside the cage.

“It’s all about having fun and that’s something I failed to realize for a long time, but just being on the show kind of brought that out,” said Hall. “At the end of the day it’s just business. I love the kid, we trained together, we lived together, and it crossed my mind a couple of times (that we could fight) but you have to separate those emotions. I did it twice—I did it with Dylan (Andrews), I did it with Bubba (McDaniels), so I have to do it again.”

Hall will look to become the latest winner of The Ultimate Fighter when he faces Gastelum in the co-main event of this weekend’s card in Las Vegas that also airs on FX Saturday night.

Lead photo courtesy of TheMMACorner.com

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gunnar Nelson Out; Rick Story Now Faces Mike Pyle at UFC 160

Top welterweight prospect Gunnar Nelson will have to wait a little longer before he gets to step back into the Octagon for his third fight after suffering an injury that will keep him out of his scheduled bout at UFC 160. The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu bla…

The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt was signed to face veteran Mike Pyle on the upcoming card on May 25, but the injury bug bit the Icelander and he’s now forced to the sidelines.

UFC officials announced late on Wednesday night that with Nelson out of the fight, Rick Story will now step in to take his place and face Pyle on the upcoming card.

With 12 UFC fights to his record, Story has been a mainstay in the welterweight division for nearly the last four years. He’s managed to pick up some very big wins along the way, including a unanimous-decision victory over current UFC welterweight title contender Johny Hendricks.

As a matter of fact, Story is currently the only blemish on Hendricks’ record as he storms toward a title shot later this year.

Meanwhile, Story will look to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2010 and 2011 when he went on a six-fight win streak. During that time, Story defeated several top names including former title challenger Thiago Alves.

Story has fallen on tougher times of late, however, bouncing back and forth between wins and losses over his last four fights. He was submitted by Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia last October but returned with a vengeance in March by blasting through former Strikeforce welterweight Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158.

Following the win, Story immediately began calling for a fight against fellow UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger, whom he defeated back in 2008 as part of the SportFight promotion.

Story didn’t get his wish, but he will get the chance to compete at UFC 160 against another crafty veteran of the Octagon.

Mike Pyle has faced some of the toughest competition in the division over the past few years, and lately he’s turned into a finishing machine by putting away his last three opponents by knockout or TKO. He will look to keep that streak alive as he also goes for his fourth win in a row overall when he faces Story in May.

Lead photo courtesy of TheMMACorner.com

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Joining the Fight to Save Wrestling in the Olympics

It was just two months ago that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to drop wrestling from the games starting in 2020.Since that time, a huge list of former Olympic competitors, trainers and fans have spoken up to try and save the sport w…

It was just two months ago that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to drop wrestling from the games starting in 2020.

Since that time, a huge list of former Olympic competitors, trainers and fans have spoken up to try and save the sport when the IOC holds a final vote later this year for one more sport to be added or re-added to the 2020 games.

Back in February when the decision was first made to drop wrestling from the Olympics, UFC President Dana White voiced his opinion that while the sport has become an integral part of mixed martial arts, he wasn’t sure there was anything left that he could do to help save it from the chopping block.

“I can’t be the guy to try and run out and save wrestling,” White stated. “You know how many wrestling programs I’ve funded over the last five or six years? A lot. I don’t want to see wrestling go away either, it’s such a big part of the sport, but something’s going to happen here. It’s going to evolve into mixed martial arts and MMA or something I don’t know.

“I don’t think wrestling’s going to go anywhere, but competitive wrestling definitely is.”

In the months since that statement, the support system to try and save wrestling in the Olympics has only increased. Several notable UFC fighters and former wrestlers such as Daniel Cormier and Sara McMann have joined the cause as well.

Now just two months later after sounding like he was ready to let the wrestling ship sink, White has changed course and says that the UFC will join the fight to save the sport in the Olympics.

“When we heard that it was being yanked from the Olympics, that’s what I said. I said it needs to be more fan-friendly, it needs to be more exciting. I’ve met with a lot of the top guys in wrestling. Actually I met with them last Tuesday, and yeah, the UFC is joining the fight to help save Olympic wrestling,” White revealed during a UFC media conference call.

“Not just Olympic wrestling, but colleges are dropping wrestling now. High schools have been dropping wrestling for a long time. I’ve personally funded tons of wrestling programs, and the UFC has funded tons of wrestling programs for high school kids.”

To what extent the UFC will play a role is unknown at this time, but financial support will likely be the first step in the process. Beyond that, the UFC’s reach in terms of global recognition, advertising and social networking can only help further the cause of making sure wrestling remains in the Olympic Games well beyond 2020.

White also spoke up, saying he hopes other organizations like Bellator get involved to help the wrestling community in their time of need.

“It’s in the discussion phase. These guys are going out and fighting the fight, and whatever they need from me and what I think I could do, and not just me and the UFC, but other companies like Bellator too (could help),” White said. “Viacom owns Bellator, and I think Viacom would be interested in helping fight the fight too.”

Bellator along with former UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture have voiced their support for the wrestling community, and it appears they will also step up and help in some way as the sport continues the fight to remain in the Olympic Games.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Will Send Dan Hardy to Doctors for Second Opinion on Heart Condition

UFC welterweight Dan Hardy will soon seek a second opinion on his heart condition that forced him out of UFC on Fox 7 and a fight against Matt Brown. It was revealed a few weeks ago that Hardy would be unable to face Brown after doctors discovered that…

UFC welterweight Dan Hardy will soon seek a second opinion on his heart condition that forced him out of UFC on Fox 7 and a fight against Matt Brown.

It was revealed a few weeks ago that Hardy would be unable to face Brown after doctors discovered that he was afflicted with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

The ailment that was discovered during a pre-fight echocardiogram is a disease that causes “an extra, abnormal electrical pathway in the heart that leads to periods of a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia),” according to the Mayo Clinic.

The danger of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is that “on occasion someone may show signs of dizziness, fainting or heart palpitations. In really bad cases, the whole heart loses its coordination and sudden death can occur” according to Dr. Jonathan Gelber, who recently penned a column about Hardy for FightMedicine.net.

Further testing by a cardiologist could potentially clear Hardy to return to action, so that’s what the UFC will do by supporting the British-born fighter in his hopes to get back into the fight game sooner rather than later.

“Lorenzo and I called him last week and he’s got some personal stuff going on right now with his family. We’re going to send him out to literally the best heart doctor in the country out in Los Angeles when he’s ready to go,” UFC president Dana White said about Hardy on Tuesday. “We’re going to get a second opinion and get him checked out.”

Hardy has expressed some doubts about his fighting future in several interviews, noting that one possible cure for his condition is surgery, which is something he will not opt to undergo. If that’s the only potential for the UFC to clear him to fight, Hardy isn’t sure he’d ever step back into the cage again.

Hardy’s manager Wad Alameddine spoke to Bleacher Report on Tuesday and said the decision about his fighter’s future really comes down to the UFC, but they are definitely stepping in to help him figure out options as he deals with this condition.

“Dan’s always been a valuable athlete for the UFC and has a great fan base and puts on some very exciting fights,” Alameddine said via email. “Right now he’s sitting on two good wins and his career is on the rise again, so why wouldn’t they do everything in their power to get him back inside the Octagon, right?”

Throughout his career, Hardy has never shown any signs of stress or symptoms related to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and up until his latest tests, the disease was never revealed. Still, the UFC will surely err on the side of caution before booking Hardy in another fight.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White: There Was No Point in Matt Mitrione Doing Interview about Fallon Fox

It’s safe to say UFC president Dana White was none too amused by Matt Mitrione’s recent rant aimed at transgender fighter Fallon Fox. Mitrione was a guest of the Internet podcast “The MMA Hour,” where he regularly records a segment called “The Mitrione…

It’s safe to say UFC president Dana White was none too amused by Matt Mitrione‘s recent rant aimed at transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

Mitrione was a guest of the Internet podcast “The MMA Hour,” where he regularly records a segment called “The Mitrione Minute” where he spouts off about any number of subjects, usually unrelated to his own fights or career.

In 2011, Mitrione decided to release a diatribe aimed at Tito Ortiz’s girlfriend and former adult film star Jenna Jameson. In the segment, Mitrone intimated that Jameson would be fighting for Ortiz and then went on to say “it’s a trap fight. We all know that she’s awesome off her back and she’s got phenomenal top control, but remember that she doesn’t choke easily.” (via cagepotato.com)

Ortiz didn’t take too kindly to the insults aimed at the mother of his children and the two fighters almost came to blows during a UFC Fighter Summit weeks later.

Now Mitrione‘s latest offering has landed him with a suspension after he insulted transgender fighter Fallon Fox, comparing her to the fictional character Buffalo Bill from the book and film “Silence of the Lambs” and calling her a “lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak” for not disclosing on her fight application that she was once a man and now lived life as a woman who was fighting other women (via mmafighting.com).

The UFC reacted swiftly and suspended Mitrione indefinitely while they investigated the situation further, and White responded on Tuesday during a UFC media conference call.

“It’s one of those things, it’s just a pain in the ass,” White said about Mitrione. “First of all, he didn’t even need to be doing an interview. I’m going to talk to these guys. The only time these guys really need to be doing interviews is leading up to fights. It ended up being a nightmare for him.”

Mitrione has been a regular guest on the podcast in the past, but White has no clue why he’s doing an interview much less deciding to address Fox. Mitrione‘s statement was not prompted during the question and answer period, he just opted to unload his rant during his open airtime.

“What was the point of that interview? There was no point in it,” said White. “Now it’s caused him a bunch of headaches and problems. It’s caused us a bunch of headaches and problems for no reason whatsoever.”

From the sound of things, White isn’t too much in favor of fighters doing these types of interviews at all, especially when it had nothing to do with his fight in particular.

“He had just fought. He wouldn’t fight again for another few months and he’s still over enjoying himself in Sweden. What was the point in doing that interview?” White asked. “What was the upside in that interview? There was none. No upside.”

For now Mitrione has remained silent on the issue since being handed down the suspension from the UFC. There has been no timeline given for when Mitrione could potentially return to action or if the UFC will seek further punishment for his transgression.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com