Tag: Leslie Smith

National Labor Board Could Intervene In Leslie Smith’s UFC Case

The National Labor Relations Board could quickly address Leslie Smith’s complaint against the UFC:

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Former UFC fighter Leslie Smith’s complaint she lodged with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the UFC could be quickly addressed should the national board grant her injunctive relief.

Smith’s case stems from her being released from her UFC contract after not accepting a catchweight fight with opponent Aspen Ladd after Ladd failed to make weight for their scheduled bout last month. But it’s Smith’s involvement in organizing a fighters’ union that really seems to have been the issue, making her case even stronger against the world’s leading MMA promotion.

Smith contends the UFC created a culture of fear, and the labor board will seek a temporary injunction “against (the UFC) in federal district courts to stop unfair labor practices while the case is being litigated before administrative law judges and the Board.”

Smith’s attorney Lucas Middlebrook plans on proving that Smith’s firing is just another example of the UFC’s nefarious business practices, also citing “a drop off in authorization cards being signed by fighters since Smith’s departure, a decrease in attendance at union meetings and statements made by (fellow UFC) employees showing they “fear losing their jobs.”

Middlebrook further contended via MMA Fighting:

“[UFC parent company] ZUFFA, with the termination of Ms. Smith, has delivered an unlawful message to the remainder of its fighter employees, which is: dare to form, join or assist a union and you too will accompany Ms. Smith not fighting in the UFC,”

The previously No. 9-ranked Smith happens to be heavily involved with Project Spearhead, which works to organize professional fighters. Clearly, a fighters’ union isn’t in the UFC’s best interest, so Smith’s firing seems awfully fishy considering her efforts in unionizing the sport.

UFC President Dana White was rather dismissive of Smith and her complaint to the National Labor Relations Board recently, shrugging it off entirely by saying it was “somebody else’s problem.”

The crux of Smith’s complaint is whether UFC fighters are employees or independent contractors.

If the NLRB grants Smith injunctive relief, we could have that answer sooner than later.

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Dana White Has Interesting Reaction To Leslie Smith’s Labor Complaint Against UFC

White’s response to this legal situation has people talking:

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UFC President Dana White has given his reaction to the ongoing situation involving Leslie Smith.

If you recall, Smith was slated to fight women’s bantamweight competitor Aspen Ladd at UFC Fight Night 128.

Things got interesting once Ladd missed weight by 1.8 pounds for her preliminary card bout. This led to Smith trying to get some leverage on the promotion by wanting her contract to be extended as this bout marked her last fight on her current deal.

The UFC reacted in a weird way as they decided to pay Smith her show money and win bonus for the fight but by doing this and not extending her contract, she is now a free agent.

Moving along to last week, Smith had filed a complaint against Zuffa, which is the UFC parent company, over unfair labor practices.

In the complaint, she is alleging that the promotion terminated her employment to retaliate due to her efforts with Project Spearhead.

It should be noted that she is referred to as an employee in the complaint which is different to the independent contractor status Zuffa applies to its fighters.

This leads us to White, who recently made an appearance on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast this week to talk to former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and comedian Jim Norton about various topics.

In this interview, White made it well known that although he is aware of Smith’s legal filing, he doesn’t put any focus on it.

“Apparently she did (file a complaint),” White said on the podcast (transcript courtesy of MMAJunkie). “I don’t know that much about this to talk about it. I literally don’t know anything about it.

I know that she’s upset and she filed something. She’s suing us or filed something with somebody. I don’t know. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t focus on that (expletive) anymore. That’s not my problem. That’s somebody else’s problem. I get to do all the fun (expletive).”

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10 MMA Stars Who Fought The UFC In Court

Fighting an opponent in the octagon is one thing, but over the years, some mixed martial arts stars have gone one step further and taken it upon themselves to battle the UFC themselves. In this article, we’ll explore 10 such instances where big-name fighters have sought to slug it out with the sport’s leading organization […]

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Fighting an opponent in the octagon is one thing, but over the years, some mixed martial arts stars have gone one step further and taken it upon themselves to battle the UFC themselves.

In this article, we’ll explore 10 such instances where big-name fighters have sought to slug it out with the sport’s leading organization in a court of law, and often found that it can be just as grueling and painful a process as going toe-to-toe with a bitter rival in the octagon.

Mark Hunt

The fan favorite knockout artist was incensed after losing to returning superstar Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 in 2016 only to then discover that his opponent had subsequently tested positive for banned PED clomiphene, leading to him being suspended for a year and the fight being amended to a no contest.

Hunt had claimed pre-fight that Lesnar was using performance-enhancing drugs and afterward became convinced that the UFC had purposefully turned a blind eye to his opponent’s PED use in the lead-up to the fight, noting that he’d been allowed to circumnavigate a required four-month USADA testing period for all returning fighters.

As such, Hunt filed a lawsuit against UFC, Dana White and Lesnar in 2017 seeking millions of dollars in damages, accusing them of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Fraud, False Pretenses, Breach of Contract, Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Duty, Negligence and Unjust Enrichment.

A few months later the UFC would join White and Lesnar’s lawyers in filing motion’s to dismiss, claiming Hunt’s suit had “an utter dearth of specific allegations,” and a failure to establish a link, “between the injury asserted and the purported injurious conduct.”

However, that motion was denied and Hunt and his legal team are now pursuing an amended lawsuit that alleges the UFC intentionally delayed announcing Lesnar’s fight with Hunt until a month before UFC 200, because he was, “using banned substances and needed additional time in order to circumvent testing procedures.”

The case has yet to be resolved, but in the meantime, Hunt has continued to fight in the UFC, while recently warning his future opponents, “if you get popped for steroids I’m suing your punk-asses!”

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Leslie Smith Files Labor Complaint Against UFC

Former UFC women’s bantamweight Leslie Smith is fighting back at the promotion. On Wednesday, May 2, 2018, it was revealed that Smith had filed a complaint against Zuffa, which is the UFC parent company, over unfair labor practices. In the complaint, she is alleging that the promotion terminated her employment to retaliate due to her […]

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Former UFC women’s bantamweight Leslie Smith is fighting back at the promotion.

On Wednesday, May 2, 2018, it was revealed that Smith had filed a complaint against Zuffa, which is the UFC parent company, over unfair labor practices.

In the complaint, she is alleging that the promotion terminated her employment to retaliate due to her efforts with Project Spearhead.

Project Spearhead legal consultant Lucas Middlebrook, who penned the complaint, stated that promotion released the fighter “based on the animus it held toward her engagement in protected activity” while also sending an anti-union message to other fighters.”

“Dare to form, join or assist a union and you too will accompany Ms. Smith not fighting in the UFC,” Middlebrook wrote (courtesy of MMA Junkie).

If you recall, Smith was supposed to fight women’s bantamweight competitor Aspen Ladd at UFC Fight Night 128. However, Ladd missed weight by 1.8 pounds for her preliminary card bout. This led to Smith refusing to accept the fight, which is understandable.

This led to a strange situation. The UFC reacted in a weird way as they decided to pay Smith her show money and win bonus for the event.

With this fight being the last on her contract, they decided not to extend her contract. Thus, she is now a free agent.

It should be noted that she is referred to as an employee in the complaint which is different to the independent contractor status Zuffa applies to its fighters.

To write the wrongs of what the UFC did, Middlebrook and Smith are hoping to get justice.

“There simply can be no dispute ZUFFA took adverse action against Ms. Smith, and based on the facts set forth herein and those to be uncovered in the investigation into this issue, ZUFFA’s animus toward Ms. Smith’s protected activity was the substantial or motivating reason for the adverse action(s) taken against her,” he wrote.

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Leslie Smith Plans To Sue UFC For Buying Her Out

A unique scene unfolded at last weekend’s UFC Atlantic City. When women’s bantamweight competitor Aspen Ladd missed weight by 1.8 pounds for her preliminary card bout versus Leslie Smith, Smith refused to take the fight against her overweight opponent. Certainly an acceptable response, although not one wholly seen too often in the UFC. But it was […]

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A unique scene unfolded at last weekend’s UFC Atlantic City.

When women’s bantamweight competitor Aspen Ladd missed weight by 1.8 pounds for her preliminary card bout versus Leslie Smith, Smith refused to take the fight against her overweight opponent. Certainly an acceptable response, although not one wholly seen too often in the UFC. But it was what happened when the UFC responded to Smith’s decision to not compete in what was the last fight on her UFC contract.

The world’s biggest MMA promotion decided to pay Smith her show money and win bonus for the card, totaling $62,000, and then branded her a free agent after deciding not to extend her contract. It was a strange scene full of several working parts considering Smith is the president of Project Spearhead, an effort to make the government decide if UFC fighters are employees or the independent contractors they’re currently considered.

So it wasn’t really surprising to hear the UFC had refused to extend Smith’s contract given their prior relations with labor-focused groups and individuals, but the timing of the whole situation and how it went down made it a curious one that will most likely shape a part of the inevitable labor dispute between fighters and the UFC to come.

And that scope of attention could get a lot bigger, as Smith revealed on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour that she believes the UFC tried to pay her off, and she would be taking legal action against them with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in addition to a state court in California.

In the eyes of “The Peacemaker,” what the UFC did was illegal because they created a culture of fear to dissuade other fighters from standing up for their rights:

“It’s my opinion that what the UFC did was illegal. Because they have created a situation where it encourages a climate of fear where the other people in the UFC on the roster are going to be fearful of publicly organizing and standing up for their rights.

“By creating a climate of fear, that violates federal law. That’s the whole point of the National Labor Relations Board and the laws that are in there.”

Smith also detailed that she was surprised when the UFC let her go because she thinks it will paint a clear picture of how they treat and consider fighters who attempt to stand up to them in the current climate:

“I am surprised. I think that it opens up an examination of how they feel about my activities in organizing the fighters recently. I think by doing unusual behavior, it’s going to ask what are the unusual circumstances leading to this?”

Always at the forefront for the fight for improved labor conditions for fighters, Smith also discussed why she couldn’t take the fight with Ladd after the UFC told her they would pay her the full win purse. In her opinion, she would have then been fighting for free, something fighters have simply done too much due to pride:

“I feel like if I didn’t do that at this point, it wouldn’t be living up to everything I’ve been talking about,” Smith said. “That’s why I couldn’t take the fight once they offered me the $62,000, because then I would be fighting for free. And that’s been my whole point this whole time. We shouldn’t be manipulated by pride. We need to look at ourselves as a business and fight for the large sums of money that we deserve.”

Overall Smith was just hoping that Project Spearhead would be taken seriously enough for the UFC to be concerned about it, and she believes that when they essentially paid her to leave, it became apparent they were concerned about her efforts:

“I guess in a way I guess I was almost hoping that Project Spearhead would be significant enough for them to be a little bit worried about it,” Smith said. “And then the fact that they did this unprecedented thing where they bought out my contract, so that I wouldn’t be around anymore kind of shows that they do think Project Spearhead is pretty significant.”

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