With the announced acquisition of the Ultimate Fighting Championship by the William Morris Endeavour – International Management Group, WME-IMG, and speculation has run rampant. The larger than life personality to meet Dana White at the helm of the UFC will be none other than Ari Emanuel, the man often touted as the most powerful agent
With the announced acquisition of the Ultimate Fighting Championship by the William Morris Endeavour – International Management Group, WME-IMG, and speculation has run rampant. The larger than life personality to meet Dana White at the helm of the UFC will be none other than Ari Emanuel, the man often touted as the most powerful agent in Hollywood, alongside his longtime partner Patrick Whitesell. The pair have long, storied backgrounds in media representation on all fronts and larger than life personalities to match, specifically Emanuel.
Given their insightful reputation surrounding media properties, experts were surprised by the UFC’s sale price not only for the amount but for the fact that it was agreed upon by Emanuel and Whitesell, which alone speaks to the validity of the UFC’s deemed worth.
With Dana White’s experience and strong visionary qualities that have helped the UFC reach the heights in which it resides today, fans are curious to see how the addition of Emanuel and Whitesell will shape the organization going forward. Visionaries in their own right, the WME-IMG pair have connected the dots on the biggest media properties for years in terms of music, movies and sports- even having a hand in the sale of the UFC’s TV rights prior to the purchase.
In this article, we take a look at four distinct ways the UFC is about change following the sale. Given the hefty purchase price, the resources available by the new owners and the potential for more funding from it’s new equity partners like Silver Lake, the UFC is about to scale drastically and we outline exactly how they’ll do it.
Fighter treatment and fighter pay have long been hot topics regarding the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, and with the UFC recently being sold, these topics may just be heating up. The UFC has implemented ground breaking policies over the years to ‘clean up’ the sport including the controversial Reebok outfitting policy as well
Fighter treatment and fighter pay have long been hot topics regarding the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, and with the UFC recently being sold, these topics may just be heating up. The UFC has implemented ground breaking policies over the years to ‘clean up’ the sport including the controversial Reebok outfitting policy as well as the USADA (United States Anti-doping Association) drug testing policy.
While some fighters have gotten behind the UFC’s plans, others have voiced their displeasure with how the promotion is handling things. Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is one fighter who doesn’t seem to be too happy with how he’s been treated, recently blasting the UFC:
“They treat us like employees, but they don’t give us benefits like employees,” said former UFC Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw on a recent edition ofTeam Alpha Male’s Stud Show Radio (h/t MMA Fighting). “It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. We have to tell them where we’re at at all times, so USADA can show up and drug test us. But we don’t get health benefits. It’s kind of crazy that we are controlled. Any time you have to tell work where you’re at and what you’re doing, that’s considered an employee, not a contractor. They can’t tell a subcontractor what to do and when to do it. So this whole drug-testing thing is kind of crazy and the way they’re making us wear Reebok and all this stuff we have to do. They’re treating us like employees, but not giving us the benefits of an employee.”
Continuing on, Dillashaw also discussed the fact that fighters are usually ‘left in the dark’ regarding upcoming changes, adding that it’s ‘crazy’ how he and his fellow fighters are treated:
“With UFC, we’ve pretty much stayed in the dark as much as possible,” added Dillashaw. “They’re telling us they’re not selling the company when everyone knowsthey’re selling it. It’s public record, but they’re still trying to tell us they weren’t. They’re just going to wait for the last minute for everything for us to find out.”
“They’re trying to make us do things and we’re not employees. So it’s kind of crazy.”
Do you feel as if it’s time for the fighters to band together and form a fighters’ union?
Fighter pay along with fighter treatment has long been a hot topic in mixed martial arts (MMA) specifically regarding the world’s largest MMA promotion, the UFC, which is why it was so interesting when a report surfaced indicating that the UFC was attempting to stop the expansion of the Muhammad Ali Act from entering MMA.
Fighter pay along with fighter treatment has long been a hot topic in mixed martial arts (MMA) specifically regarding the world’s largest MMA promotion, the UFC, which is why it was so interesting when a report surfaced indicating that the UFC was attempting to stop the expansion of the Muhammad Ali Act from entering MMA.
Oklahoma congressman Markwayne Mullin, who hopes to introduce a bill that would bring the act to MMA, recently detailed a somewhat odd conversation he had with a UFC official that made it clear to him that change is needed:
“He actually said that to me,” Mullin told MMAjunkie. “He said, ‘We don’t have them fight for a championship belt. We bestow an award on an individual for the best fighter that night.’ I said, ‘See, this is exactly why we need this.’”
While noting that today’s fighters are indeed ‘phenomenal athletes’, Mullin claimed that they simply aren’t treated fairly:
“The fighters today are phenomenal athletes, while we were more brawlers,” Mullin said. “It’s become a professional sport. But would I encourage my kids to try and make it? Would I encourage my kids to go into it? Is it a sustainable career? I mean, for the top one percent, is it even sustainable for them? And the answer is no. No it is not.”
Erik Magraken, an attorney in favor of the expansion of the act, also commented on the situation, saying that the act would completely change the current business model in MMA:
“The Muhammad Ali Expansion Act will turn the current business model on its head for many promoters,” Magraken wrote in an email to MMAjunkie. “This will not be limited to the UFC, but also other professional MMA promoters such as Bellator MMA and WSOF, not to mention smaller regional promoters. Additionally this will impact other combat sports promoters such as GLORY and Lion Fight Promotions, Bellator Kickboxing and even professional grappling promoters.”
Do you expect to see the Muhammad Ali Act make its entry into MMA in the near future?
Despite recent speculation that he may be headed to Bellator, it looks as if Alistair “The Reem” Overeem will be remaining with the UFC after testing the free agency waters. “The Reem” announced the news via his official twitter account: Just signed my new @ufc contract! pic.twitter.com/lUQZO0ptLJ — Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) February 15, 2016 A
Despite recent speculation that he may be headed to Bellator, it looks as if Alistair “The Reem” Overeem will be remaining with the UFC after testing the free agency waters.
“The Reem” announced the news via his official twitter account:
A former DREAM and Strikeforce champion, Overeem is currently ranked No. 3 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, sitting dangerously close to a title shot.
After losing three out of four fights between 2013 and 2014, “The Reem” has now rattled off three straight victories including two by way of stoppage.
Overeem scored a knockout over Stefan Struve in December 2014 before picking up a one-sided decision victory over Roy “Big County” Nelson last March. Most recently, the Dutch Kickboxer scored a massive TKO win over highly ranked former champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos.
Now back in the Octagon for the foreseeable future, “The Reem” should be in line for a huge fight in the cloudy yet ultra-exciting heavyweight division.
It was reported last week that former UFC lightweight champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson had signed a deal with rival promoter Bellator MMA. Although he’s set to fight for the Bellator welterweight championship in April, it appears as if mixed martial arts may not be the only thing “Smooth” will be competing in under his new
It was reported last week that former UFC lightweight champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson had signed a deal with rival promoter Bellator MMA.
Although he’s set to fight for the Bellator welterweight championship in April, it appears as if mixed martial arts may not be the only thing “Smooth” will be competing in under his new deal:
“Wanting to have a kickboxing bout and wanting to have a boxing match – underneath Zuffa (the UFC’s parent company), that’s probably not allowed; (it’s probably) very heavily frowned upon,” he said. “But Bellator, because they have their co-promotions, they’re open to options, so it’s definitely what helped sell me on the idea of Bellator.” Henderson told AXS TV’s Inside MMA.
While Henderson didn’t necessarily confirm that he would be branching out in the near future, it’s definitely a realistic possibility especially given Bellator’s partnership with GLORY Kickboxing.
Of course aside from the flexibility, money was also a key component of “Smooth’s” new deal, as fighter pay seems to be a growing and glaring problem within the UFC. Expanding on this, Henderson said that Bellator came up with something different regarding his earnings, something that clearly appealed to him:
“Bellator was super open about the idea of doing different things, doing something differently – not doing the standard, regular show and win money, but doing something differently,” he said.
While the pay may be better, it could be argued that Henderson will be taking on slightly lesser competition than he would be up against the UFC elite. However, on the flipside, Bellator does have many interesting matchups waiting for the former champion.
Did Henderson make the right call switching promotions?
The last article on MMA that I published in 2014 was Shill ‘Em All, Part 5: Goodnight and Good Luck. It was a series about the constraints of the MMA media due to both carrots and sticks offered by promoters that won BloodyElbow.com’s “Best MMA Writing Award” in 2013. Last Friday, at the UFC’s media tour stop in Toronto, I found myself encountering the vitriolic stick used by the UFC that often keeps important questions from being asked.
The last article on MMA that I published in 2014 was Shill ‘Em All, Part 5: Goodnight and Good Luck. It was a series about the constraints of the MMA media due to both carrots and sticks offered by promoters that won BloodyElbow.com’s “Best MMA Writing Award” in 2013. Last Friday, at the UFC’s media tour stop in Toronto, I found myself encountering the vitriolic stick used by the UFC that often keeps important questions from being asked.
Fighter pay became a feature of the UFC 189 media tour when Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com reported that Aldo said “I will always complain…I will always want to earn more. This is the right that I have, so I’m going to continue doing this,” at the March 24th presser in Los Angeles.
The media portion of the Toronto press tour was kicked off by a question about whether Conor McGregor was copying an iconic photograph of Muhammad Ali when he posed in front of a bank safe with bankrolls full of cash.
“It just happened to be coincidence that it looked like the Muhammad Ali photo,” responded McGregor, “but what was really happening was, I was collecting my win bonus in advance.”
I’ve never shied away from writing about the contract issues and financial issues that have lifelong consequences for fighters. For instance, in 2014, I wrote a feature for Bleacher Report that described the stark realities faced by retired MMA fighters evidenced by the case of TUF 1 and UFC veteran Chris Leben. I followed that up by probing Jon Fitch’s road from being a title contender to being cut by the UFC for not signing away his video game likeness rights to being cut a second time and ending up in WSoF.
Throughout the eight-stop press tour for UFC 189, Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor have been open targets for fans telling them how their respective opponents were going to destroy them. They are expected to suffer and bear the experience because it furthers the goals of the promoter—selling tickets, pay-per-views, TV licenses, merchandise and sponsorships—and because Aldo and McGregor themselves will receive a portion of the financial proceeds.
McGregor himself told MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani that he would make “More than the [$7 million dollar] gate…I am on the pay-per-view cut. I will make three times more than Jose…and that’s still not fair.”
At the UFC 189 press conference, I asked Aldo about his pay complaints, whether his contract had changed due to the lawsuit and whether he would consider joining the lawsuit. A reliable source had told me that every time a main event fighter was rumored to be joining the lawsuit, their contract would get renegotiated.
This is where UFC president Dana White pretended to be translating and responded “He says you’re a dick” to me.
Aldo then responded tactfully through his (real) translator, saying “I’m happy, I’m not complaining, people are going to do whatever they want to do, so, it’s up to them. I’m happy with my contract.” It was the equivalent of saying “No comment.”
If I had foreseen Dana’s reaction, I would have held on to the microphone after asking my question in order to follow up. It was at this point when I stood up and said “My question was respectful, your answer was disrespectful. That came from [Aldo], not from you.”
The fallout from the press event was twofold: First, a UFC representative called me on Saturday to inform me that I was no longer welcome at any future media events. Second, Dana White sent out a series of tweets (check them out here and here) claiming that I was not a journalist and that I had snuck into the press conference. This is patently false—I have contributed to major outlets such as like ESPN and Sportsnet Magazine for years, was approved by the UFC’s PR representative, placed on the media list, and subsequent to the event, wrote an article on the presser. The UFC also has my signature on a release form that I signed to get into the event, after which, I was issued a wristband.
As for claiming I was representing BloodyElbow—I e-mailed the UFC rep for information about the press conference on Tuesday March the 24th. The UFC rep e-mailed me to confirm she’d placed me on the media list on Thursday at 7:41 PM. My editor for the publication I originally wanted to write for happened to take Friday off, so I had no lead time to discuss anything with them. I wanted to file a story on the UFC 189 presser that weekend, so I approached BloodyElbow on Friday morning and was commissioned for two articles, which were killed in the aftermath of the press conference.
If you read through the entire Shill ‘Em All series, you’ll see a recurring theme of the promoter controlling the narrative. Yes, the UFC 189 press tour was designed to market UFC 189, not to give any attention to issues outside the periphery of that goal. I maintain that my question about fighter pay was a logical continuation of the thread that Aldo and McGregor themselves started. The question over which UFC main event fighters are contemplating joining the lawsuit also needs to be asked.
It was five years ago that former MMAWeekly.com editor and writer Ivan Trembow announced that he would cease his coverage of MMA due to the brain damage incurred in the sport. Perhaps he could have done more good from the inside, but he made a clean break and has never resurfaced to my knowledge.
To those that continue to report on MMA, I hope you think back to the tough times in your life when, like Jason Thacker, you needed help or support. And I hope you become that beacon of light that provides comfort or warmth in someone else’s life.
