Let’s take a take look around at what athletes are openly feuding with the UFC, right now. There’s Georges St-Pierre, Conor McGregor, Donald Cowboy Cerrone, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Mark Hunt, Tim Kennedy, TJ Dillashaw…
Am I missing anyone? Probably.
In the past, discontent with UFC pay, policies and treatment was almost always something spoken about only in fighters’ inner circles and off-the record with journalists. These days, more fighters than ever are going public with their displeasure, and even giving ultimatums to the new WME-IMG property.
In the past, efforts by the likes of fighters like Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, Nate Quarry and others to criticize the UFC and call for athletes of the MMA powerhouse to band together were largely ignored or dismissed as sour grapes from disgruntled former workers. Now, with the number of current top UFC fighters, it’s clear that anger is fomenting and athlete boldness is increasing.
We’re dealing with the best of the best here, telling the world that they’re sick of the UFC, and not going to take their terms anymore.
Georges St-Pierre may be the best fighter in history, and may still be the biggest star in the promotion, though he’d been retired for several years before announcing his intention to come back. St-Pierre’s lawyer calls UFC contract terms so restrictive that they would shock even 1930’s sensibilities.
Conor McGregor is the biggest draw in the company’s history and is the rightful champion at two separate weight classes, right now (forget his dubious relinquishing of the featherweight title he earned less than a year ago and never lost in the Octagon). He insists that he’s outgrown his existing contract, is upset at not having any control over his media schedule and is demanding equity in the promotion.
Cerrone is one of the UFC’s most loyal, yes sir, whatever you need sir types, fighting anyone, anytime, at just about any notice, as well as being one of the most popular athletes on the roster. For his sacrifice he got multiple uniform fines, a base income level that athletes in other top sports would laugh at, and is now calling for fighters to unionize.
Khabib Nurmagomedov came into the UFC undefeated, and has stayed that way for nine more fights, dominating everyone in his path, including former champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Still, he’s not promised a title shot.
The top lightweight contender is so infuriated with the UFC that he spent almost as much time during his last bout – a submission victory over Michael Johnson – screaming angrily at the promotion’s president Dana White who sat Octagonside, as he did fighting. Soon after the win, he called White a bulls*** guy, and threatened to leave competition if he wasn’t given a title shot.
Former bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw probably thought it was a great thing when Hollywood giant CAA signed him. Then the agency’s chief rival, WME-IMG, bought the UFC and now Dillashaw is openly questioning if the UFC’s new ownership’s blatant conflict of interest in promoting and managing fighters at the same time is the unethical reason he isn’t fighting for gold, again, despite being the number one contender on the promotion’s own rankings.
The special forces sniper war veteran Tim Kennedy is not easily intimidated and has been vocal in his criticism of UFC pay and athlete treatment for years. He’s still at it, even as he looks to get on a coming UFC card.
Mark Hunt is talking to lawyers about the UFC and USADA’s horribly botched PED regulation fiasco around he and Brock Lesnar’s fight last summer at UFC 200. Oh, and top heavyweight contender and two-time world champ Cain Velasquez is said to be joining Dillashaw, Kennedy, and GSP for an announcement of some sort with former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Chances are they won’t be announcing their undying love and support for Dana White and the UFC.
This type of vocal criticism and unity is a good and necessary thing for the help of a sport. Right now, in the UFC, athletes’ pay is relatively low, they don’t have collective bargaining, there are no independent rankings, and exclusive and lucrative licensing deals with big corporations are negotiated without athletes having a seat at the table.
UFC athletes don’t have the protections and security of full-time employees, they are subject to intrusive drug-testing by dubious UFC-hired testers with unclear disciplinary processes and inadequate education. UFC athletes don’t have pensions and have no real job security.
UFC owners are now operating with the built-in conflict of interest of being both promoter and fighter management that is a federal crime in boxing. The UFC itself is contracting the number of events and workers even as it plans to demand hundreds of millions of dollars more from potential broadcast partners when their current deal with FOX is up in 2018.
For fans, the UFC has done a lot of good. For fighters, the UFC is clinging to an arcane contractual and compensation system that isn’t up to date with modern day sports practices.
So, there’s a little mutiny going on in the big leagues of MMA, and that’s good. People speaking out, sticking together and demanding more is the only way things ever change for the good.
About the author:
Elias Cepeda has served as a writer and editor covering mixed martial arts and combat sports, as well as public and cultural affairs, since 2005. He began as a staff writer for InsideFighting, and not long thereafter became publisher and editor of the page. Cepeda then went to write for Yahoo! Sports’ boxing and MMA pages, and edited their Cagewriter blog. He was hired away by FOX Sports, but after several years departed over philosophical differences with the executive leadership around important issues of journalism ethics. A student of and sometime competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA since 1999, Elias brings a unique and vibrant presence to reporting and enjoys trying to highlight shared humanity and connect common experiences from seemingly different worlds.
