For two years Bellator MMA founder Bjorn Rebney worked on establishing a fighter organizing effort. At some point he partnered on the effort with CAA, the Pepsi to new UFC owner WME-IMG’s Coke. The MMAAA launched late last month, with prominent Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez, Tim Kennedy, TJ Dillashaw, Donald Cerrone all voicing their support.
The stated intention is to get the UFC to acquiesce to a fighter’s union in exchange for an anti-trust exemption, like that enjoyed by the NFL. The union would then seek to increase the fighter’s share of revenue to around 50% from what they report is about 8%.
While there is a widespread sense that fighters need some form of players association or union, there is also some unease about the MMAAA. In two interviews published today, separate fighters each expressed a degree of concern with the latest effort.
There is only one fight on the Fight Pass portion of UFC 207 on Saturday, and it is awesome – Alex Oliveira vs. Tim Means.
You see a lot of disgruntled guys on the MMAAA, said Means to Tim Bissell for BE. That Rebney guy has always been at the throat of the UFC and now he’s representing the talent? It’s a strange twist for me and it’s one that I don’t understand.
Tim Kennedy’s been pissed at the UFC forever. T.J. Dillashaw was pissed off about not having his title fight. Cain I can understand, he’s getting to the end of his career, he didn’t say much, but there’s a reason he’s up there. And I understood why Donald Cerrone was up there. Gastelum didn’t make weight, he didn’t get his bonus money, I understood him being upset. Georges St-Pierre, come on man, really? The dude didn’t get the contract he didn’t like and suddenly he’s doing it for the fighters? Come on man, I think we need to read between those lines a little bit more. The way I’m looking at it, this whole thing, it’s more for some of those guys’ personal interests and their own vendettas they have with the UFC.
If these fighters are not happy with what’s going on, well use your words like a big boy, pick up your phone, contact the bosses and get your issue worked out. If I’ve ever had any kind of issue or didn’t like my contract, I’ve contacted the bosses and I’ve talked with them directly.”
James Krause recently appeared on MMAjunkie Radio and expressed nuanced feelings, something you might expect from a fighter who is also a regional fight promoter. Krause began with a sobering reminder of why there is so much interest in some form of organization for fighters.
I see some of these guys that can’t put their damn shoes on, and I’m not exaggerating, said Krause, as transcribed by Steven Marrocco for MMAjunkie. I see guys that can barely pick their kids up. That’s not a way to live, and for you to have no future compensation for that is a terrible thing.
At the end of the day, the promotion’s job is to make money, and the sooner the fighters realize – this is not the fight game; this is the sports entertainment game, the money game – the sooner everybody will be better off.”
That being said, I’m not going to be the guy that’s a pawn in a game of chess. I’m playing my own game, and I’m looking out for my best interests, and that’s why I have a good manager that looks out for my best interests.
When I hear stories about the big guys going and leaving $50,000 and $100,000 tips at blackjack tables, that kind of pisses me off. [The UFC has] done small, incremental steps to make the process better. I think we’re a ways from being where we need to be.
I do think it’s eventually going to happen – just not any time in my fight life.
