Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz wants fight promotions to provide post-career mental healthcare.
“Us fighter put our lives on the line to entertain the fans that watch,” Ortiz told Inside MMA. “Look at Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller, War Machine. I’m not defending anything they did. Everything they did was wrong in their own right, but a lot of these fighters take a lot of head trauma, head damage, as you see in professional football.”
Miller was arrested earlier this month at his California home following a three-hour standoff with Orange County police. In August 2012 he was arrested on burglary charges after being found naked in a local church.
Jon Koppenhaver’s infamous acts of violence are another story.
“Maybe UFC and Bellator should take care of the fighters when their careers are done, as the NFL takes care of their players. Because they’re making so much money off us. It’s blood money. Going back to Mayhem, I think helping a guy like him is very needed.”
Unfortunately for Ortiz, the comparisons between fighters and National Football League players nearly start and stop with head trauma. With no collective bargaining to speak of, fighters remain independent contractors without an athlete’s union working towards those benefits.
While the National Football League Player’s Association has worked alongside the NFL to create programs like the ’88 Plan,’ which ‘provides retired players up to $88,000 per year for medical and custodial care resulting from dementia, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,’ current players are still asking NFL commissioner Roger Goddell why the league isn’t offering more extensive long-term care for current and former players.
In 2011 the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, rolled out what it called ‘customized accident insurance coverage,’ to cover not only accidental injuries suffered in training, but also non-training incidents such as car accidents.
Although it was somewhat disputed by UFC president Dana White, Miller himself was vocal over his displeasure with the promotion’s insurance, even alleging they delayed a knee reconstruction to allow his policy to expire after he was released in 2012.
“[The UFC] pretended they were going to give me the surgery, and they started acting like they were going to fix my leg,” Miller told Ariel Helwani in 2013. “They went back and they dragged it out until my insurance coverage expired. So I couldn’t get the surgery.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
‘It turns out he’ll be out a little longer than anticipated.’ AKA head coach Javier Mendez says Cain Velasquez’s knee surgery was a success, but had ‘more damage than anticipated.’
‘I’ll see you in Australia, you a–hole.’ Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold had themselves one hell of a conference call.
‘It’s not racism, it’s like small person-ism.’ Ian McCall says ‘no one gives a s–t’ about flyweights because Demetrious Johnson ‘has the personality of my coffee mug.’
Trouble in GLORY? The world’s last major kickboxing promotion hasn’t renewed contracts with three of the sports biggest stars, Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki and Joe Schilling.
‘The Good Life.’ Should Conor McGregor’s bromance with UFC bosses be an issue?
Watch The MMA Hour with Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, Diego Sanchez, Wallid Ismail, Ian McCall and Javier Mendez.
MEDIA STEW
New UFC Rankings Report.
Bellator 130 Uncut.
UFC Rewind: UFC 179.
TTTHS.
Free Fight: Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann.
I just wanna know what happened to Chuck’s wrist/hand.
Long watches.
Bisping vs. Rockhold conference call audio
…
Cheap Seats with Jordan Breen.
TWEETS
Here we go.
@rory_macdonald Thank you Rory!! Congrats on your last win brother. You were phenomenal!! #Honoured
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 29, 2014
Call tuckered him out.
So the wife took a little pic of me when I was having a post training nap earlier lol. Ver… http://t.co/SNe3bmBcAz pic.twitter.com/hnyD2JYASq
— michael (@bisping) October 29, 2014
Beef.
I wish people gave more fucks about @johnlineker so we actually got some publicity for this fight …
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 28, 2014
@Unclecreepymma Tá me achando bigodinho lindo? Kkkkk. Esse bla bla bla é coisa de marica! Faça o seu trabalho que eu vou fazer o meu!
— John Lineker (@johnlineker) October 28, 2014
@johnlineker English please … And take the fork out of your mouth before you talk k? Thaaaanks cupcake
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 28, 2014
@johnlineker I feel like if I made chimp noises you’d understand me better. Ooo ooo aaa aaa I’m going to embarrass you fat boy
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 28, 2014
@Unclecreepymma Grilo falante cri cri se quiser fale VC o português! Deve estar apavorado só pode kkkk conversará com minhas mãos #SemMais
— John Lineker (@johnlineker) October 28, 2014
@johnlineker here’s to talking with our hands. Hope you understand this one fatty pic.twitter.com/zLLaIXiR8a
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 28, 2014
@Unclecreepymma pic.twitter.com/cgklbJ9kW5
— John Lineker (@johnlineker) October 28, 2014
@johnlineker I have enough stupid hair on my face and head already. A Mohawk is the last over done stupid shit I need on my body #nicetry
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 28, 2014
Get well soon.
Gutted to be out of my fight broke my rib sparring with pro boxers sorry to Richie hope we can get it on again some time
— Neil 2 Tap Seery (@NeilSeeryMMA) October 28, 2014
recovering from having my ribs relocated, shit was intense!! http://t.co/KEuQT5Tclc pic.twitter.com/WF0392iQFe
— Tim Elliott (@TElliott125) October 28, 2014
Tomorrow I return to the U.S. To spend a lil more time relaxing and getting cleared by doc in when I can train.
— Scott jorgensen (@Scottjorgensen) October 29, 2014
FYI.
Just finished up with @georgesstpierre show aires tomorrow. YOU’RE WELCOME… @podcastone http://t.co/k3lfzRDto0 pic.twitter.com/meGiHGTA5R
— chael sonnen (@sonnench) October 28, 2014
Whoa.
Gator has been adopted by some guy named Charles Rider.
— Jason Mayhem Miller (@mayhemmiller) October 28, 2014
update: we know who you are. You won’t keep my dog for long. I know where you are, and i know how to get to you…
— Jason Mayhem Miller (@mayhemmiller) October 29, 2014
Congrats.
Having a boy! Looking to match him next year march/april time will fight any baby under 10lbs #WFAC #AVTbaby pic.twitter.com/AKoaMQ9y5E
— Danny Mitchell (@DannyAranha) October 28, 2014
Careful.
Holy shit I almost got tatackled by the gas attendant pump guy apparently you can’t pump your own fuel in Oregon
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) October 29, 2014
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Oct. 28 2014)
Rick Glenn vs. Lance Palmer at WSOF 16
Neil Seery out, Louis Smolka vs. Richie Vaculik at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Rockhold
Omari Akhmedov vs. Mats Nilsson at UFC 182
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.