Standards for MMA managers need to be set
The issue of managers in MMA has been contentious, with some parties arguing fighters are better off without them, and…
The issue of managers in MMA has been contentious, with some parties arguing fighters are better off without them, and others arguing that fighting without management is insane. Now Robert Roveta, who represents a number of high-profile fighters, weighs in for the managers, and has some suggestions to reform the sport.
If you want to be the best in any walk of life, you need a team of certified professionals and specialists working with you to help you reach that goal; they handle any number of tasks so that you can focus on what is most important. For mixed martial artists, that is training for the next fight, not trying to find sponsors, booking travel arrangements and completing all the paperwork that accompanies each bout. Should a fighter really be worrying about his banner or whether or not a sponsor patch is located in the right place?
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The biggest issue in the MMA management field right now is that there is no barrier to entry. By comparison, to represent a player in the National Football League, a prospective agent must have:
• Received an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and a post-graduate degree (Masters or Law) from an accredited college or university;
• Filed a verified application for certification as a Contract Advisor with the NFL Players Association within the specified dates;
• Paid the non-refundable $2,500 application fee;
• Attended a two-day seminar;
• Successfully completed a 60-question multiple-choice exam that covers the Collective Bargaining Agreement, salary cap, player benefits and other issues relevant to player representation.
There is currently no certification process and zero codified professional standards laid out to which agents and managers must adhere, and one does not have to make any time commitment or personal investment into becoming an agent or manager within this industry. To be an agent or manager in the mixed martial arts industry, all you currently have to do is tell people that you are an agent or manager in the mixed martial arts industry. After that, you are free to start recruiting clients.
We — fighters and managers — must take it upon ourselves to rectify the situation and improve the industry. Managers need to band together to establish certifications, regulations and minimum requirements to be an agent or manager within the sport mixed martial arts.