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.
A few weeks ago, the UFC had announced that Conor McGregor had relinquished his featherweight title after also becoming the promotion’s lightweight champion with a brutal knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York. The Irishman has remained relatively quiet on the matter since, but he finally broke the ice
A few weeks ago, the UFC had announced that Conor McGregor had relinquished his featherweight title after also becoming the promotion’s lightweight champion with a brutal knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York. The Irishman has remained relatively quiet on the matter since, but he finally broke the ice last night (Dec. 17, 2016), saying that the UFC never contacted him regarding the situation:
“All I know is they’re tying to type onto keyboard and say, we’re taking this belt, we’re taking that belt, we’re doing this, we’re doing that,” said McGregor, who was named the RTE Sports Person of the Year (Via MMAFighting). “You ain’t doing nothing without contacting me first.”
In addition to saying that McGregor had relinquished his title, UFC President Dana White also said that the “Notorious” one would be taking 10 months off due to the fact that he and his longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin would be having a baby. Apparently, McGregor’s baby will be born later than he expected, leading the Irishman to wonder where White got the 10 month mark from:
“As far as a break, I don’t know,” McGregor said. “I know Dana has been on record, being like, ’10 months — he’s taking 10 months off.’ Where did you [get] 10 months?”
According to McGregor, it seems as if there has been a lack of communication between him and the UFC, which was something he discussed after UFC 205. McGregor says that he is still waiting for his conversation with new owners WME-IMG:
“I just don’t know,” McGregor said. “I’m weighing up my options. But again, I expect that conversation. I expect them to fly that jet to me. Ari, Patrick, the new owners from WME-IMG, the guys that bought the UFC for $4 billion, I want to speak to them. I want to see what their plan is. Because right now I don’t know what nobody’s plan is.”
At the end of the day, however, McGregor isn’t worrying about what the promotion says or does. In his mind, he is a two-weight world champion:
“I’m still the two-weight world champion,” McGregor said. “Make no mistake about that. They can say what they want, they can try and get phony belts and hand them out to people I’ve already destroyed. I mean, the current champion (Jose Aldo) is a guy I KO’d in 13 seconds. The current interim champion (Max Holloway) is a guy I destroyed as well. … Officially, I don’t care what nobody says. I am the two-weight world champion and that is that.”
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 Bellator head man Bjorn Rebney might not be a name you expected to be associated with Georges St-Pierre as he attempts to finally make his way back into the UFC Octagon (or any MMA cage), but apparently that’s what will go down. According to a report from MMA Fighting, the two will spearhead an
Former Bellator head man Bjorn Rebney might not be a name you expected to be associated with Georges St-Pierre as he attempts to finally make his way back into the UFC Octagon (or any MMA cage), but apparently that’s what will go down.
According to a report from MMA Fighting, the two will spearhead an ‘industry re-defining’ announcement this Wednesday that also includes major MMA stars Cain Velasquez, TJ Dillashaw, Donald Cerrone, and Tim Kennedy. The announcement was revealed today and will take place on a conference call on November 30.
It can’t be denied that it is entirely possible the announcement will be about the initial creation of a fighter’s union, as St-Pierre, Cerrone, Dillashaw, and Kennedy have all been extremely forthright in their stance about better fighter treatment and pay in the UFC, one of the hottest topics in all of MMA. Things got worse in that regard when the UFC was sold to talent giant WME-IMG for a record-setting $4.2 billion this summer, making fighters realize their worth compared to what they were getting paid.
St-Pierre recently revealed WME-IMG had taken an offer from previous UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta off the table. They then allegedly drug their feet on offering him a realistic fight, leading St-Pierre and his legal team to declare he was a ‘free agent’ while still under UFC contract. Dillashaw has been heard speaking out against the UFC’s practice of paying fighters, and fan favorite Cerrone recently said he was willing to head a potential fighter’s union.
What Rebney’s role in the potentially game-changing announcement remains unclear, but one thing is crystal: fighters have needed effective representation for far too long now, and the growing anti-establishment sentiment amongst fighter needs to be quelled for an athlete base that puts their health and future on the line each and every time out to the cage.
It should be noted that all fighters named in the press release except Cerrone are clients of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), WME-IMG’s main competition in the MMA representation business. The fact St-Pierre is represented by CAA has been whispered about as a reason why WME-IMG has been unwilling to meet the legendary former champion on his terms, instead calling it a ‘great financial risk’ to re-introduce him to fans.
GSP may have taken that as an insult, and it now looks he’s decided to do something about it. Is this the change so many fighters have been striving for?
Throughout the three-week lull proceeding one of the busiest periods in MMA history surrounding UFC 205, the contract standoff between the UFC and former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has perhaps been the most discussed topic. St-Pierre revealed he considered himself a free agent after the UFC failed to give him a realistic fight in a timeframe
Throughout the three-week lull proceeding one of the busiest periods in MMA history surrounding UFC 205, the contract standoff between the UFC and former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has perhaps been the most discussed topic.
St-Pierre revealed he considered himself a free agent after the UFC failed to give him a realistic fight in a timeframe set forth by his lawyer. While the UFC predictably asserted St-Pierre was under contract and that they would hold him to his obligations, it’s simply a sad state of affairs that the situation has been allowed to reach this level.
Tempers were apparently calmed during a recent meeting between new UFC headman Ari Emanuel and St-Pierre, and “Rush” also released a video declaring that his relationship with Dana White had “never been better.” But that still wasn’t enough to get him in the main event slot of UFC 206, a card from Toronto in his native Canada that fans are threatening to boycott if he was not signed.
It’s looking like they’ll have to boycott, as St-Pierre said the fight, which was rumored to be against Michael Bisping, just isn’t happening as of now. With its Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson rematch in the main event and a lackluster undercard, UFC 206 is set to struggle in the UFC’s return to Toronto as it’s sandwiched in between UFC 205 and UFC 207, where Ronda Rousey will return, but this could have easily been avoided.
There are whispers that St-Pierre’s management company CAA and their status as UFC owners WME-IMG’s direct competition in in the talent industry is directly interfering with any deal St-Pierre may sign, and there are other rumors GSP wants $10 million for his return fight that the new ownership isn’t willing to pay. Regardless of the reasoning, however, this is a situation that could have been avoided to make UFC 206 a truly special event – and a massive PPV success.
Instead, it’s just another bad look for the UFC’s new owners, who have stayed stalwart in their plan to cut overhead by releasing employees and playing hardball with St-Pierre in a time where fighter pay and treatment is one of the most hotly debated topics in the sport. The idea that the UFC would take a great financial risk and be forced to spend a large amount of money to re-introduce St-Pierre to a new fanbase is ludicrous, as is WME-IMG’s withdrawal of an offer St-Pierre had received from previous owner Lorenzo Fertitta.
True, St-Pierre may have been losing fans towards the end of his dominant run when he chose to fight safe and coast to dominant decision wins rather than finish his overmatched opponents, but he’s still one of the most popular fighters the Octagon has ever hosted. He may not bring in the million-plus buys that Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey do, but he can bring in more buys than nearly every other MMA star can.
He’s also the key to a currently struggling Canadian market in MMA, where he ruled for many years as the sport boom North of the Border. His presence would have instantly reinserted a ton of interest and attention into the fight-crazed Canadian MMA market, which has undoubtedly fallen into a funk since he left. Now, however, in an effort to save a few millions off the bottom line, the UFC is content to let UFC 206 fall by the wayside as a wholly forgettable event in a sea of high-profile cards.
It’s purely a business decision, but this decision is not best for business. Maybe St-Pierre is playing hardball; it cannot be denied he’s simply the most high-profile name to speak up for fighters being treated fairly. That’s something that needed to happen and was an eventuality rather than something the UFC could have held off forever. They did a good enough job doing that for several years as it stands.
He’ll most likely eventually reach middle ground with WME-IMG, yet UFC 206 could have been so, so much bigger. For a company that’s clearly about the bottom line, the decision to not back down to St-Pierre’s request is a puzzling one, and one that’s going to cost them millions of dollars in the short run.
The UFC’s new owners are already cleaning house in a big way. According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, talent group WME-IMG, who purchased the world’s biggest MMA promotion for a record-setting $4.2 billion in July, will lay off ‘under 15 percent’ of the company’s current staff, which adds up to somewhere in the neighborhood of
The UFC’s new owners are already cleaning house in a big way.
According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, talent group WME-IMG, who purchased the world’s biggest MMA promotion for a record-setting $4.2 billion in July, will lay off ‘under 15 percent’ of the company’s current staff, which adds up to somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 employees.
The figures came from a source who chose to remain anonymous considering the announcement had not been made official yet. The firings will be made in the areas of sponsorships, licensing, public relations and production, but MMA Junkie noted that WME-IMG does not plan to reduce the UFC’s already-crowded event schedule.
If indeed announced, the move will come amidst an incredible amount of heat on the UFC’s new owners, as only yesterday, legendary former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre revealed he had terminated his UFC contract after WME-IMG had rescinded a previous offer from original owner Lorenzo Fertitta, and then failed to give him a viable fight in a timeline laid out by St-Pierre’s attorney. The promotion insists St-Pierre is still under contract and will remain that way until fulfilling his obligations.
That could certainly mean the UFC’s new ownership is off to a rocky start in the sport, as cutting corners and costs in a current climate where fighter pay and treatment is quickly becoming the most oft-discussed topic in MMA may not be the best course of action. Interim featherweight champion Jose Aldo recently asked for his release from the promotion, and longtime prominent UFC employees such as Joe Silva, Dave Sholler, and Giovanni Decker have all exited the fray quickly.
New ownership reportedly claimed that they would be at a great financial risk to “re-introduce” St-Pierre to the new UFC audience, a laughable prospect even if the fanbase has changed dramatically in the three years he has been away from fighting.
A fighters union has often been talked about and could be coming soon, and it’s also a driving force to hear huge names like St-Pierre and Aldo talk about fighter pay so openly and forcefully. But that doesn’t appear to be deterring WME-IMG from taking a cutthroat approach to cleaning house if this report proves true.
Interesting – and divisive – times are coming for the sport of MMA.
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