The ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against the UFC appears to be gaining traction, and fighters could receive a massive windfall of money for damages if the lawsuit were to pass. MMA journalist John Nash tweeted about his discoveries regarding the anti-trust lawsuit, and any fighter who fought in the UFC since 2010 will be entitled to […]
The ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against the UFC appears to be gaining traction, and fighters could receive a massive windfall of money for damages if the lawsuit were to pass.
MMA journalist John Nash tweeted about his discoveries regarding the anti-trust lawsuit, and any fighter who fought in the UFC since 2010 will be entitled to a part of the proposed $1.6 billion settlement:
Well this caught me eye. Plaintiff's expert Hall Singer came up with a damages figure of $1.6 Billion – that's with a B – for bout class (purses and such) and $37 million for Identity class (video game rights)
That 1.6 Billion number was not a misprint. "I also explain why the most plausible damages estimate is the $1.6 billion calculation that flows from my impact regression."
The UFC’s huge sale last year for over $4 billion will likely work against them here, as the massive settlement could be viewed as coverable by the deep pockets of new owners WME-IMG.
Zimbalist: "Finally, Zuffa’s 2016 sale price of over $4 billion to WME-IMG is more than enough to pay for damages. Zuffa’s owners made that $4 billion by systematically underpaying fighters."
For comparison, Nash says former UFC competitor Strikeforce paid their fighters 63 percent of their overall revenue. Meanwhile, economist Andrew Zimbalist denies the authenticity of the UFC’s claim of fighter/revenue numbers:
From Andrew Zimbalist's expert report discussing Lorenzo's claim that UFC paid close to half their revenue to fighters ("[It's] in that neighborhood, yeah.") Zimbalist: As is clear from the analysis below, Feriitta's comment is simply wrong.
A group of fighters led by former UFC title contender Jon Fitch banded together in 2010 in an effort to create a fighters’ union. Fitch says any fighter who competed for the UFC between December 2010 to December 2014 are entitled to payouts unless they choose to opt out.
Economists actually place the money owed to said fighters could be three times as much as the $1.6 billion figure.
How do you see this lawsuit playing out? Will the fighters ever receive money due them?
2015 and 2016 turned out to be two of the best years in promotional history for the UFC, specifically from a financial standpoint, as fight fans were treated to some of the best-selling pay-per-views of all time during that time period. The UFC also inked some lucrative deals over the last year or two. However, we
2015 and 2016 turned out to be two of the best years in promotional history for the UFC, specifically from a financial standpoint, as fight fans were treated to some of the best-selling pay-per-views of all time during that time period. The UFC also inked some lucrative deals over the last year or two.
However, we may not be saying the same about 2017 12 months from now. Many changes are looming not only within the UFC, but within mixed martial arts as a whole and that may cause a change of the tides next year. WME-IMG talent agency purchased the UFC for a whopping $4.2 billion earlier this year, but various issues may now be heading its way.
Let’s take a look at why 2017 may end up being a rough year for the UFC:
Potential Absence of Conor McGregor
The UFC is a star-driven company given that pay-per-view (PPV) is its most prominent source of income, but it seems as if the promotion is dealing with a lack of stars as of late and to make matters worse, its biggest star may be taking some time off to begin the year.
After winning the lightweight title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205, Conor McGregor said that he could potentially be taking a break from action given the fact the he and his longtime girlfriend will welcome their first child. UFC President Dana White has said that the “Notorious” one could be on the sidelines for up to 10 months, although McGregor hasn’t confirmed a specific timeline.
Either way, the brash Irishman has headlined some of the best selling pay-per-views of all-time over the last two years. If does end up taking a break for the majority of 2017, the UFC would feel certainly his absence in the pocketbook, and that’s not something the new owners can afford to do when attempting to repay such a massive loan.
Following the announcement of the MMAAA (mixed martial arts athletes association) a new era in the sport has begun. After years of fighters alleging unfair treatment from the UFC, and other promotions, an alliance of fighters and well-known faces has emerged. Aiming to combat the (quote) ‘outrageous treatment’ of UFC fighters, the association is led
Following the announcement of the MMAAA (mixed martial arts athletes association) a new era in the sport has begun. After years of fighters alleging unfair treatment from the UFC, and other promotions, an alliance of fighters and well-known faces has emerged. Aiming to combat the (quote) ‘outrageous treatment’ of UFC fighters, the association is led by none other than Georges St-Pierre. The ex-UFC welterweight champion was heavily rumoured to be returning at UFC 206, but contractual disputes saw that plan disintegrate.
Ironically this beef with the UFC may well have finalised St-Pierre’s place on the MMAAA, although we may never know for sure. Joined by the likes of Donald Cerrone, former champions Cain Velasquez & TJ Dillashaw, Tim Kennedy and ex-Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, the association certainly has a lot of sway. Will it be enough to combat the might of the UFC, though? That remains to be seen.
Power In Numbers
Speaking during the conference call for the MMAAA, ‘GSP’ raised some very interesting points. Claiming every fighter he’d met during his illustrious career shared the same story, St-Pierre said it’s time for a change.
“I’m here to talk about these problems, to make this situation better. Maybe to the UFC I’ll be seen like a villain, like when I came out with the PED problem. I want everybody to be happy, on both sides. I’m one of the rare fighters who came out and is healthy and wealthy now days. I can’t say that about most fighters these days. Most sports it’s 50-50 for the athletes and promoters. We have around 8%. It’s not fair to the UFC top contestants, even to Conor McGregor, who doesn’t have his fair share of what he should have. I’m not born with a silver spoon, I’m a real fighter, I worked three jobs, went to school and trained to fight. My first fight, I received 3K/3K from the UFC.”
“Travelling from gym-to-gym, with different partners from different backgrounds, it’s the same problems always mentioned. We are here today to take a stand, and fight for all the fighters who have the same problems. Fighters are being bullied and intimidated, scared to retire or not fight again, fighters who are being left broken, with brain injuries and physical trauma. There’s no insurance or care. I personally met fighters in the beginning of their career, and they are not the same person at the end of their career. This, for me, is unacceptable. UFC without fighters is only three letters of the alphabet. It’s time for us to make our voice heard, and make a change happen for the fighters.”
News arrived earlier this week (Mon., Nov. 28, 2016) that an ‘industry re-defining’ announcement was coming today from a group of prominent MMA figureheads including former UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and Bellator founder and former CEO Bjorn Rebney. The group, which also included former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, former bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw,
News arrived earlier this week (Mon., Nov. 28, 2016) that an ‘industry re-defining’ announcement was coming today from a group of prominent MMA figureheads including former UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and Bellator founder and former CEO Bjorn Rebney.
The group, which also included former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, former bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw, fan favorite welterweight Donald Cerrone, and middleweight Tim Kennedy, revealed this afternoon that they had taken the steps to finally form a long-awaited fighters’ union for MMA competitors. The association will be called the official Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association.
The brand-new MMAAA just tweeted this photo of the flagship members online:
St-Pierre has long been at odds with the UFC, stemming from the very moment he vacated his long-held welterweight title in the aftermath of his highly controversial split decision win over Johny Hendricks at 2013’s UFC 167. The superstar supposedly had his belt taken from his locker room while he showered before UFC President Dana White downplayed his decision to take some time off, saying a champion fighter simply couldn’t do that.
But that paled in comparison to the roadblocks St-Pierre ran into when he attempted to make something of a comeback earlier this year. He revealed the UFC’s new owners, talent giant WME-IMG, had taken a previous deal he had with prior owner Lorenzo Fertitta off the table, and then failed to offer him a suitable bout in a timeframe laid out by his attorney, making him a free agent in his own mind. The UFC insists St-Pierre remains under contract and they expect him to fulfill the obligations of his previous deal.
St-Pierre joined up with Rebney, the Bellator founder who was often at odds with White, Cerrone, who recently said he would be willing to head up a union, Dillashaw, who, like Kennedy, has recently been a staunch opponent of UFC fighter pay and treatment. Interestingly enough, Velasquez has never been viewed as discontented nor spoke out against the current system, but it must be heavily noted that each fighter involved in the announcement is a client of Creative Agents Agency (CAA), WME-IMG’s direct competitor.
Still, a fighter’s union where combatants are finally able to collectively bargain for better pay, benefits, and overall treatment is long overdue for the UFC and MMA overall, so the announcement comes as a breath of fresh air for a disgruntled fighter base that is finally realizing their worth after the company they work for as ‘independent contractors’ was sold for a staggering $4.2 billion.
That alone would have marked a new era for the growing sport, but this news makes it certain that revolutionary times are here for MMA. Let’s hope that leads to the athletes who put their lives on the line receiving better compensation and care.
Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture is no stranger to taking a stand against the UFC, as Couture dropped just over $500,000 in attempt to terminate his contract with the UFC before settling for a restructured deal back in 2007, and isn’t all that stunned to see stars the magnitude of Georges
Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture is no stranger to taking a stand against the UFC, as Couture dropped just over $500,000 in attempt to terminate his contract with the UFC before settling for a restructured deal back in 2007, and isn’t all that stunned to see stars the magnitude of Georges St-Pierre embarking on similar battles with the promotion.
During a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on The MMA Hour, Couture pointed to Zuffa’s recent sale of the UFC to WME as a major ‘red flag’ for fighters under the promotion’s banner:
“I think the company selling for $4 billion was a big red flag,” Couture said. “That a lot of fighters stood up and took notice as to what those guys made off of the sale of the brand we’ve all been representing for a long, long time, and recognized that less than 10-percent of what they’ve been making, we’ve been reaping as the products, as the fighters stepping in that cage. And that’s just wrong. That equation is way out of whack, and I think until we, frankly, come together and use our voice to fight these types of things, it’s going to continue to happen.”
Couture believes change is on the horizon in the form of fighters coming together through the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA), led by Arizona attorney Rob Maysey, who campaign on issues such as pushing for an amendment to the Ali Act to support MMA fighters:
“I’m confident that it can happen, absolutely,” Couture said. “Obviously, again, I think that the MMAFA model, the fighters association, is the right model for what we do and who we are as independent contractors. I think, obviously, a huge step in the right direction is getting the Ali Act amended, and then that levels the playing field with federal legislation on some level.
“I think that’s a huge step in the right direction. And yeah, I think it can definitely happen, but it’s going to guys having the strength and backbone to get over their fears of the repercussions, or potential repercussions with the promotions like WME and the UFC. Everybody’s scared they’re going to get dropped, they’re going to get blackballed, and there’s going to those kind of repercussions, so they’re not willing to exercise their voice and come together.”
Similar efforts for a fighters’ union have been made by the Professional Fighters Association (PFA), who is led by former baseball agent Jeff Boras, who have not been on the same page with the MMAFA as of late. Regardless of their differences, Couture urges the two sides to unite to fight for a similar cause:
“The association is there now,” Couture said. “The MMAFA, you can get on WhatsApp and get on the thread. There are over 200 athletes on there communicating on a regular basis about the MMAFA and all of the things, and basically there’s an education process just like there was when we were teaching people what our sport was about, and that we weren’t crazy thugs and criminals, we’re just martial artists that want to be professional athletes.
“So I think the same thing is true about what we’re doing as athletes now, educating ourselves about: what the difference is between a union and a fighters association? How does that affect us as 1099 independent contractors? What does the Ali Act do for us? There’s been an education process for all of us as fighters. For 10 years, I’ve been hearing this talk and been involved and trying to see us come together as fighters and unite our voice for quite a while now, and I feel like the best shot we have right now is the MMAFA.”
At the end of the day Couture believes the future is bright for fighters, who are now ‘fed up’ with the abuse they are taking from the promotion, now having realized the power they posses to fight back:
“I think it’s going to take some more time,” Couture said. “I think we’re going to continue to educate fighters. I think fighters are fed up with kind of taking it in the shorts, frankly, and are starting to come together and realize we have power, and only if we stay united.”
With the dust finally settled on former WWE superstar Phillip ‘CM Punk’ Brooks’ long overdue UFC debut at Saturday’s UFC 203 from Cleveland, the results played out just how most seasoned MMA fans and media members predicted it to. Punk was thoroughly handled by inexperienced 2-0 prospect Mickey Gall, who took him down following a wild
With the dust finally settled on former WWE superstar Phillip ‘CM Punk’ Brooks’ long overdue UFC debut at Saturday’s UFC 203 from Cleveland, the results played out just how most seasoned MMA fans and media members predicted it to.
Punk was thoroughly handled by inexperienced 2-0 prospect Mickey Gall, who took him down following a wild early rush before softening him up with a brutal barrage of ground shots that opened a clear path for the inevitable rear-naked choke win in just two minutes and 14 seconds. That was probably to be expected; but what followed could have a much more lasting impact upon the sport of MMA, even if it should have been expected as well.
What happened was the Ohio Athletic Commission (OAC) released the fight purse numbers for UFC 203, and not surprisingly, the list showed that Punk took home an absolutely massive payday of $500,000 base salary for a man who never had a single MMA fight to his name. No, he didn’t take home the biggest purse, as that distinction went to heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem and his $800,000 disclosed purse for his thrilling knockout loss to champion Stipe Miocic, who also took home more than Punk with $600,000.
Many experienced MMA fighters immediately took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with Punk’s payday after seemingly having paid far from the dues they had sweat and bled for, and overall, the payday and the subsequent backlash was more or less a microcosm of the growing anti-establishment sentiment brewing about fighter pay and overall treatment in the UFC. In an era where name value essentially trumps actual rankings and skill, those who can drive up pay-per-view (PPV) numbers are absolutely paid more than those who win against top-ranked opponents but fail to draw big numbers.
Punk was certainly able to drive up sales based on his name value alone, as Forbes estimated that his place on UFC 203’s main card added millions of dollars in revenue to the card. In that sense, he earned every dollar of his $500,000 disclosed purse, and probably the rumored pay-per-view points he’ll receive based on sheer numbers alone.
He’s unique in that he was an inexperienced fighter coming from a totally different game of pro wrestling, but he undoubtedly brought a new fanbase with him, at least for that one night (Dana White has said we won’t see Punk in the UFC again).
However, the ‘money fight’ concept has proven to be a go-to one for the UFC this year, where they eschewed a single defense of the featherweight title for Conor McGregor in favor of having him match up with Nate Diaz a second time, and the box office results were potentially record-setting. It will happen again when aging legend Dan Henderson, who sits at No. 13 in the 185-pound ranks and hasn’t won back-to-back bouts in years, faces unlikely champion Michael Bisping in a sort of revenge bout at October 8’s UFC 204 from Manchester.
Like it or not, the formula has been bringing cash in for the UFC on regular basis, and in no small amounts.
There’s already been a growing numbers of fighters lashing out against their contracts in the months after the UFC’s momentous $4 billion sale to talent agency WME-IMG in the days after UFC 200, and Punk’s substantial payday for what many deem an embarrassing effort obviously only served to fuel that fire. The argument that fighters must build their own brand to become top-level pay-per-views draws in their own right is an obvious one, yet Punk earned the big payday they are all seeking without having to do any of that.
Punk deserves respect for having the proverbial guts to set foot into the Octagon; that much is no doubt true. But the fact also remains there was no way to not pay him the amount he had negotiated without alienating fighters who haven’t made as much in their entire careers as Punk did for getting trounced in less than half a round. The backlash was inevitable.
While it could be a case of sour grapes from an increasingly disenfranchised roster, the reality of it is that, coupled with the recent sale and Reebok sponsorships limitations, Punk’s payday has and will continue to galvanize a fighter base that’s only now finding out what they’re truly worth.
Do they have work to do to promote themselves? Yes, without a doubt. Yet that’s going to be hard to accomplish without at least some of the UFC’s promotional machine behind them. The only thing mid-ranked fighters, or event top-ranked competitors who aren’t household names, can do to get that is win a several consecutive fights spectacularly, and that involves a heavy amount of risk on their part.
True, that’s their job, but it’s a wholly unforgiving, brutal one that has no guarantee whatsoever of success, pay, or health after their insanely short window at or near the top is over. It’s simply time for fighters to be paid what they’re worth and treated fairly for putting their bodies on the line day in and day out for the sake of mere entertainment. Luke Rockhold and TJ Dillashaw have been speaking out for change lately, and it’s time for more UFC athletes to follow suit.
The issue of fighter pay has never been more at the forefront of MMA’s hottest topics, so it’s strange that a scenario like that involving Punk arose right when talk of a fighter’s union has been swirling more fervently than ever. Baseball super agent Jeff Borris recently founded a fighter’s association to hopefully create that union and introduce the Muhammad Ali Act into MMA, and while many have cried that he’s simply looking to cash in on an opportunity involving fighters, that’s just what the UFC has been doing for years. With most fighters focusing on themselves and their camps, the fact that they have failed to band together and unionize is a big part of why they are constantly complaining about their pay.
So at the end of the day, it’s time for the UFC to make some overarching changes for their fighters – the writing is on the wall, and it could easily be argued that it has been for years now. Fighters just haven’t noticed it as much until they compared their paycheck to the UFC sale that they helped create by risking their long-term health.
CM Punk’s massive payday only further brought that into question, and the UFC’s current roster of athletes fully has the right to be mad.
![conor-mcgregor-ufc-mcgregor-ufc_3768515[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/conor-mcgregor-ufc-mcgregor-ufc_37685151.jpg)
Similar efforts for a fighters’ union have been made by the Professional Fighters Association (PFA), who is led by former baseball agent Jeff Boras, who have not been on the same page with the MMAFA as of late. Regardless of their differences, Couture urges the two sides to unite to fight for a similar cause:
![Luke-Rockhold[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Luke-Rockhold1.jpg)