MMA fighting is an enormously challenging way to earn a living. Contracts in the NFL start at over $700,000 per annum; UFC fighters, the peak of the industry, start at $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win, with three fights offered in a year, but two fights actually happening being more typical. On average, retired NFL players earn approximately $43,000 annually from their pension; On average retired MMA fighters earn approximately nothing annually from their pension, because there isn’t one.

California is the only state in the U.S. with a combat sports pension fund, but it applies only to boxers. Since 2012, 171 checks have been paid out to retired prizefighters; the average payout is $19,000. The boxing pension fund is administered by California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

Now California State Assembly member Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) has sponsored a proposal in the legislature to set up a pension fund for retired MMA fighters. The bill would require that $1 from each ticket sold in California go into a pension fund; fighters ages 50 and up would receive proceeds from the fund, provided they have met the criteria, which should be about 13 fights in The Golden State. The legislation was introduced on February 15, and could be heard on the floor by March 18.

The bill has the support of Foster, as well as a number of fighters, including UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey.

“I was really almost like shocked and encouraged by humanity (that) anyone is even thinking of the fighters after they’re not fighting anymore,” said Rousey to Marc Raimondi for ESPN. “I just kind of thought that nobody cares ever, that they only want to see us punch each other and it’s really cool, and then they forget about us and don’t ever think about us for a second after that. This is the first time I’ve really felt that anyone is actually thinking about the fighters themselves, not just the fight, and actually cares about the people and not thinking of us as a product. And if this doesn’t pass, I’ll be extremely disappointed.

“You have a much shorter window (in MMA) because your body takes so much more of a heavier toll. And the difference with these kind of combat sports, with all this contact and the neurological injuries involved, you don’t know the day that you’ve taken one hit too many. You’re going to find out that you crossed that threshold many decades later when you no longer have that extra income. It’s when you’re dealing with the repercussions of that career is when you no longer have that income stream.”

“I can’t think of a single reason why all of these fighters who are literally fighting their hearts out and putting their lives on the line to entertain people haven’t had this support already. And I’m really keeping my fingers crossed – if I could cross them, because they’re so damaged from fighting – that this will pass.”

Haney hopes that other commissions will replicate the California model.

“I hope to see us find ways to grow the amount of revenue that we can put in,” he said. “We’ve had a good set of conversations with some of the promoters and hopefully we can get them to be more invested in it as well and ultimately they can make even larger contributions to this fund.”