# Fighters to sue UFC for $100s of millions in class action



## onip69 (Oct 14, 2012)

> Fighters to sue UFC for $100s of millions in class action
> 
> The UFC is about to be on the receiving end of a massive class action lawsuit from fighters relating to alleged abuses of their market power to cripple the free market.
> 
> ...


http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/12/...-sue-ufc-for-100s-of-millions-in-class-action


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

I said years ago their monopalistic practices will come back to bite them.


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## John8204 (May 13, 2010)

My emotions MY EMOTIONS










Titillation, Dana's and the UFC have been phoning it in over the past few years now the UFC might have to actually try.










But I'm also looking forward to seeing the guys that actually fought bled and built that company only to be disguarded. We all know Nate Quarry and Randy Couture are totally behind this but what about Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, Royce Gracie...the names oh god the NAMES.










But I think the whole thing comes together with this gif 










The time really is now.


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

This has been investigated and determined not to be legally valid the whole monopoly thing so I find I hard to see how they ca. Prove it especially with the the existence of Bellator and One Fc 


Sent from Verticalsports.com App


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## John8204 (May 13, 2010)

Toxic said:


> This has been investigated and determined not to be legally valid the whole monopoly thing so I find I hard to see how they ca. Prove it especially with the the existence of Bellator and One Fc
> 
> 
> Sent from Verticalsports.com App


In those cases it was the UFC lawyers being bigger scarier and badder than the other guys lawyers, this is hundreds of fighters maybe even active ones going after the UFC.


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

onip69 said:


> http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/12/...-sue-ufc-for-100s-of-millions-in-class-action



The problem is the suit says it's based on the UFC breaking antitrust laws but the FTC investigated and dissmissed those accusations. The courts have already ruled against the idea of the UFC being some kind of unfair monopoly. I would think that's a pretty substantial disadvantage fighters have right off the bat. 


Sent from Verticalsports.com App


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

This will probably just disappear into the static if I had to guess.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

Toxic said:


> This has been investigated and determined not to be legally valid the whole monopoly thing so I find I hard to see how they ca. Prove it especially with the the existence of Bellator and One Fc
> 
> 
> Sent from Verticalsports.com App


Not only this, we have legal monopolies are what have made this country great. What do you think patents are? Think of how many great inventions of been made due to the fact that monopolies in the form of patents are legal. 

The UFC made MMA. It's a great organization that doesn't hold a gun to anyones head making them sign contracts.


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## TheAuger (Jun 30, 2011)

Toxic said:


> The problem is the suit says it's based on the UFC breaking antitrust laws but the FTC investigated and dissmissed those accusations. The courts have already ruled against the idea of the UFC being some kind of unfair monopoly. I would think that's a pretty substantial disadvantage fighters have right off the bat.


Exactly. They already have antitrust ruling in their favor. This sounds like a typical class action troll looking to put pressure on the UFC for a settlement. If that is what they are thinking, they have surely miscalculated Zuffs's resolve in these types of matters.

I just feel sorry for any fighter that signs on for this suit who has the future potential to sign with the UFC. They will be effectively be blackballing themselves after they lose this case. 

Good luck. They are going to need it.


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## Rauno (Nov 20, 2009)

:dunno:


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## TheAuger (Jun 30, 2011)

Here's how I really feel about this lawsuit.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

Just because they didn't break any laws a few years back doesn't mean they didn't in the meantime. Double jeopardy does not matter because it's not the same crime (double jeopardy is a stupid concept anyway). Just look at the Reebok deal. Fighters obviously think it will cost them money and it's not like there's a Reebok clause in the old contracts. Fighters literally did not sign up for this.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Calminian said:


> Not only this, we have legal monopolies are what have made this country great. What do you think patents are? Think of how many great inventions of been made due to the fact that monopolies in the form of patents are legal.
> 
> The UFC made MMA. It's a great organization that doesn't hold a gun to anyones head making them sign contracts.


Patents have a certain shelf-life in order to give the company that spent money on developing the product or whatever the time to make profit off it. They have a shelf life so companies cannot have a monopoly forever. 

The UFC is about big enough now to have to deal with anti competitive behavior, and if the right people take the case against them to the right court, I dont see how they can defend their position.Trying to crush their only proper competitor in Bellator all the time is blatant and easy to prove. Bellator lose venues because Dana weighs in and threatens people. He's also done some very bad practices when people work for a competitor, Couture a perfect example of that. You can't publicly try and destroy a guys reputation when he goes to work for a competitor
With proper lawyers I think its easy to prove, and the UFC ethos is going to have to change with the wrong ruling for them. Probably it would take a few years though.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

Whether the class action suit reaches a settlement it will force the UFC to review their business model and present/future direction. In that regards it's probably a necessary action to take. The UFC is very top heavy although I know their motives for the most part are for the good of the sport. Trust me there will be the same debate if Stikeforce, Pride, Affliction, or Bellator was in the same position as the UFC. I just hope the UFC never goes public, because that would be the downfall of the sport. 

If one really thinks about it compare the number of quality shows that have been produced consistently over the last 21 years and 10+ years once Zuffa took over. You have to give em credit. They took this sport as far as I could ever imagine. What they're going through is merely growing pains. 

On one hand where were the fighters when the UFC needed em to pull PPVS in the early days. By right they (Zuffa) have the authority to control salary and negotiate deals (sponsorships) in their best interest of their company and the sport. On the other hand the UFC has had tremendous momentum gaining large blue chip sponsorships along the way. They can now in return take care of the fighters' on their roster. They are taking care of their fighters, it's just happens be the top 1%.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

No_Mercy said:


> Whether the class action suit reaches a settlement it will force the UFC to review their business model and present/future direction. In that regards it's probably a necessary action to take. The UFC is very top heavy although I know their motives for the most part are for the good of the sport. Trust me there will be the same debate if Stikeforce, Pride, Affliction, or Bellator was in the same position as the UFC. I just hope the UFC never goes public, because that would be the downfall of the sport.
> 
> If one really thinks about it compare the number of quality shows that have been produced consistently over the last 21 years and 10+ years once Zuffa took over. You have to give em credit. They took this sport as far as I could ever imagine. What they're going through is merely growing pains.
> 
> On one hand where were the fighters when the UFC needed em to pull PPVS in the early days. By right they (Zuffa) have the authority to control salary and negotiate deals (sponsorships) in their best interest of their company and the sport. On the other hand the UFC has had tremendous momentum gaining large blue chip sponsorships along the way. They can now in return take care of the fighters' on their roster. They are taking care of their fighters, it's just happens be the top 1%.


Yea the thing is, there is a good argument up until a certain point for the UFC. Doing a good job growing the sport which requires certain tactics to get that done. But it can't do that forever, its just at what point it will be forced to stop. I thought it would be a union that would do it, but it could well be this case if the right people are behind it.


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## King Daisuke (Mar 25, 2013)




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## oldfan (Mar 14, 2010)

Rauno said:


> :dunno:


I have to agree at this point.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

DonRifle said:


> ...The UFC is about big enough now to have to deal with anti competitive behavior...


Oy. Socialist nonsense. Why in the world would the UFC not try to crush its competitors? And why wouldn't its competitors not try to crush the UFC? Move to Russia if you don't like this stuff. I'll choose freedom over the government picking winners and losers.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

Calminian said:


> Oy. Socialist nonsense. *Why in the world would the UFC not try to crush its competitors?* And why wouldn't its competitors not try to crush the UFC? Move to Russia if you don't like this stuff. I'll choose freedom over the government picking winners and losers.


Because it's against the law? And where does socialism come into play? This is US law we're talking about here.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Calminian said:


> Oy. Socialist nonsense. Why in the world would the UFC not try to crush its competitors? And why wouldn't its competitors not try to crush the UFC? Move to Russia if you don't like this stuff. I'll choose freedom over the government picking winners and losers.


Your mentioning of Russia and socialism shows your wide understanding of the situation! 

The whole idea of not allowing total domination by one company is so the people have freedom to choose as well as workers. It also promotes creativity and growth with ideas and new companies, new competition. This is good for the market, i.e.. capitalism. Its basic economics and nothing to do with socialism.


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## Rauno (Nov 20, 2009)

King Daisuke said:


>


This is cringeworthy.


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## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

Rauno said:


> This is cringeworthy.


I think he was just parodying the classic McKenzie GIF.


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## Woodenhead (Jan 5, 2010)

This will be a fun s***storm for a little while.


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## Rauno (Nov 20, 2009)

HexRei said:


> I think he was just parodying the classic McKenzie GIF.


I know.


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## marky420 (Oct 26, 2012)

No wonder we've entered another phase of stacked ppvs. Overtime money for the ufc's suits.


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## sucrets (Jul 8, 2007)

Suddenly everyone is a lawyer up in this joint... 




Calminian said:


> Oy. Socialist nonsense. Why in the world would the UFC not try to crush its competitors? And why wouldn't its competitors not try to crush the UFC? Move to Russia if you don't like this stuff. I'll choose freedom over the government picking winners and losers.


You have no idea what you're talking about.

If it wasn't for the US government's socialist policy of bailing out the banks, motor companies and GE in 2008-2009, there would be no USA today.

The US government did pick winners and losers. For example, winner: AIG, loser: Lehman Brothers.

I don't give a shit about the capitalism vs socialist debate as I see merit in both. I only care about the facts. You are on the wrong side of the facts. Simple.


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## John8204 (May 13, 2010)

No_Mercy said:


> On one hand where were the fighters when the UFC needed em to pull PPVS in the early days. By right they (Zuffa) have the authority to control salary and negotiate deals (sponsorships) in their best interest of their company and the sport. On the other hand the UFC has had tremendous momentum gaining large blue chip sponsorships along the way. They can now in return take care of the fighters' on their roster. They are taking care of their fighters, it's just happens be the top 1%.


Yeah cause the UFC was so loyal to Randy, Tito, Frank, Tim, Carlos, Yushin, and Fitch. Y'know the actual fighters that showed up on those early cards.

I want the UFC to have to open their books and see just what percentage they actually pay out to the fighters. They don't have to do a 50/50 split but the belief is the split is 94/6 the US goberment and Uncle Dana should not get a bigger cut than the entire UFC roster.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

DonRifle said:


> Your mentioning of Russia and socialism shows your wide understanding of the situation!
> 
> The whole idea of not allowing total domination by one company is so the people have freedom to choose as well as workers. ...


No you liberal nut case, eliminating monopolies does just the opposite. It says that even though the people overwhelming choose the UFC, sniveling nut cases like yourself insist that other promotions have to be favored.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

sucrets said:


> ...If it wasn't for the US government's socialist policy of bailing out the banks, motor companies and GE in 2008-2009, there would be no USA today.....


Why? If GE goes under who cares? How does that make our country less of a country?


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Calminian said:


> No you liberal nut case, eliminating monopolies does just the opposite. It says that even though the people overwhelming choose the UFC, sniveling nut cases like yourself insist that other promotions have to be favored.


Take another swig of whisky bro, see if you can spurt out some more stoopid.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

DonRifle said:


> Take another swig of whisky bro, see if you can spurt out some more stoopid.


So tell us Don, what is so _stoopid _(as you put it) about freedom? Why can't people be given a choice in which promotions they watch? :confused02:


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

John8204 said:


> Yeah cause the UFC was so loyal to Randy, Tito, Frank, Tim, Carlos, Yushin, and Fitch. Y'know the actual fighters that showed up on those early cards.
> 
> I want the UFC to have to open their books and see just what percentage they actually pay out to the fighters. They don't have to do a 50/50 split but the belief is the split is 94/6 the US goberment and Uncle Dana should not get a bigger cut than the entire UFC roster.


how does it help you? Why do people get so offended that others are better at business than them? Should bad fighters be paid the same as good fighters? by your logic they should, just as bad businessmen should make that same money as good business men.

I choose to favor certain promotions over others. If that means some promotions can't stay afloat, tough knuckles. Come up with a better product If the UFC puts on free stuff during your promotion, then you better make sure your promotion is more desirable. It's the way it is. It's called freedom.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Calminian said:


> So tell us Don, what is so _stoopid _(as you put it) about freedom? Why can't people be given a choice in which promotions they watch? :confused02:


Whats stupid is you dont seem to understand that the breaking up of monopolies is something that gives people freedom and choice, it creates a realistic marketplace that allows competition. You can have one single choice or you can have many choices. 
What do you think would happen if one pharma company was allowed a monopoly on all the drug sales in the US? Do you think that is giving people freedom?


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## sucrets (Jul 8, 2007)

Calminian said:


> Why? If GE goes under who cares? How does that make our country less of a country?



If all the financial institutions as well as the manufacturers I mentioned went down, the US economy would collapse. That was the case in 2008-2009 and had it not being for the government rescuing them, a socialist policy if you want to put a label on it, there would be no economy today. To put it simply, many businesses in the country would simply stop working had those institutions collapsed. 

Well, I think it's fair to say that a country without a functioning economy would be less of a country. What do you think makes America so great? Its economy of course. (You're also thinking the US military, but that is merely an extension of the economy).

Also, the Irish dude is right. A monopoly is destructive to the free market. The whole point of having a free market is for competition to thrive, leading to innovation and production efficiencies, which consequently benefit consumers in the form of superior products/services, more choices and lower prices. A monopoly, due to its nature, operates in the exact opposite way. It stifles competition, reduces products and leads to inefficiencies, since there is no threat to the company, etc.

Trust me, if you are a conservative/free market advocate, you should be disparaging monopolies, not endorsing them.


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## LizaG (May 12, 2008)




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## Woodenhead (Jan 5, 2010)

Yep, this'll be a whole lot of fun until it's over. haha

PS: the military is a socialist construct. Heck, just look at their slogan: "Army of One". Commies, the lot of 'em, I tell ya.


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## Oax (Nov 23, 2014)

Both sides of the argument have merit. Truth be told, there is not perfect system, and there never will be. The reason there is an imminent class action against the UFC is because they're attempting to establish a monopoly through corrupt business practices. That's usually what happens with monopolies. If Wal-Mart became a monopoly, it's not out of the question that they would drive up the pricing and totally screw over the consumers since they're the only dog in town. That's not freedom at all in my opinion.




:thumbsup:


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Oax said:


> Both sides of the argument have merit. Truth be told, there is not perfect system, and there never will be. The reason there is an imminent class action against the UFC is because they're attempting to establish a monopoly through corrupt business practices. That's usually what happens with monopolies. If Wal-Mart became a monopoly, it's not out of the question that they would drive up the pricing and totally screw over the consumers since they're the only dog in town. That's not freedom at all in my opinion.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hate to tell you but in Canada WalMart pretty much is a monopoly at least more so than the UFC is in MMA. There is no real competition to Walmart in Canada, Target here is a joke and few and far between.


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

Why do people cry that the company they work for earns a sh!t ton and they dont? Firstly, they're employees, not shareholders. They get contracts and paid a "wage" and if they don't like that contract or wage, they can work for a company who pays them less money but a higher share of its revenue, as that's what it seems theyre p!ssed at. That or get a different job.

Don't agree to a contract and then whine about it years down the line cos you didnt earn as much money as you would have liked.

The way I see it is quite simple. If you don't like the money the UFC offers you, don't work for the UFC. You don't like the way Zuffa runs the UFC? Don't work for the UFC. Tired of working a 3 month fight camp for $15,000? Guess what? Don't work for the UFC.

A lot of these fighters say they love their job. There's not many people in the world that can truly say they love their job. So I fail to see what their gripe is about.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

DeeJay said:


> Why do people cry that the company they work for earns a sh!t ton and they dont? Firstly, *they're employees*, not shareholders. They get contracts and paid a "wage" and if they don't like that contract or wage, they can work for a company who pays them less money but a higher share of its revenue, as that's what it seems theyre p!ssed at. That or get a different job.
> 
> Don't agree to a contract and then whine about it years down the line cos you didnt earn as much money as you would have liked.
> 
> ...


That right there is the problem. They are NOT employees. They are independent contractors who sign contracts that basically make them ZUFFA slaves because it's the only way to make a decent living in their line of work.


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

Hammerlock2.0 said:


> That right there is the problem. They are NOT employees. They are independent contractors who sign contracts that basically make them ZUFFA slaves because it's the only way to make a decent living in their line of work.


So choose a different line of work, or take what you get offered. It's pretty simple. Nobody is forcing them to agree to the contracts. They fight in small organisations before reaching the UFC and get paid a whole lot less. But as soon as they hit the UFC, they want a paycheque that isn't being offered, and they feel it is their right to have it. Its crazy!


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

Sean Sherks name is flying around a lot regarding this lawsuit right now..


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## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

_RIVAL_ said:


> Sean Sherks name is flying around a lot regarding this lawsuit right now..


Sherk had it pretty hard. Even when he was a top man in his division in the UFC he was still working a day job doing carpentry or some such to make ends meet.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

DeeJay said:


> So choose a different line of work, or take what you get offered. It's pretty simple. Nobody is forcing them to agree to the contracts. They fight in small organisations before reaching the UFC and get paid a whole lot less. But as soon as they hit the UFC, they want a paycheque that isn't being offered, and they feel it is their right to have it. Its crazy!


So what your saying is you would prefer that most of the fighters had to go into other lines of work to make a decent living. So we would have less professional fighters, the sport would slow down instead of grow and all that comes with that?


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

I cant wait till MMA grows to the level of Floyd Mayweather so we can start seeing these guys pick their own fights.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

This is pretty crazy. I don't really think it will materialize, but I feel like it will be a bit of a wake up call to Zuffa that they need to tread more lightly and perhaps look after their fighters better.


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## VolcomX311 (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm not arguing whether this lawsuit is justified or a good or bad thing, but if you're an active fighter named as a Plaintiff, it's not going to be good for you when the legal dust settles, regardless of how it ends. 

I wonder how many Plaintiffs will be butt hurt fighters who were cut? I could think of a few.


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

Rauno said:


> This is cringeworthy.


haha, yes that was. and I laughed out loud.


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

DonRifle said:


> So what your saying is you would prefer that most of the fighters had to go into other lines of work to make a decent living. So we would have less professional fighters, the sport would slow down instead of grow and all that comes with that?


I'm saying they are all adults who know the purse they are likely to get when offered a UFC contract. They are aware of this throughout their journey to the top. If they're not happy with that, they shouldn't do it.

Suing the UFC might back-fire on some of these guys who are still under contract. If this ever does play out and the UFC have to pay out millions of dollars, they're soon gonna make cuts on their roster to help pay for it. Karma can be a bitch sometimes so these guys better hope its not them that gets the cut.


Incidently, have any of these guys stated how much money they want per fight?


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

Hammerlock2.0 said:


> That right there is the problem. They are NOT employees. They are independent contractors who sign contracts that basically make them ZUFFA slaves because it's the only way to make a decent living in their line of work.


So then find a new line of work, or find a promotion that's willing to go broke for you.



DeeJay said:


> So choose a different line of work, or take what you get offered. It's pretty simple. Nobody is forcing them to agree to the contracts. They fight in small organisations before reaching the UFC and get paid a whole lot less. But as soon as they hit the UFC, they want a paycheque that isn't being offered, and they feel it is their right to have it. Its crazy!


Honestly, what makes a fighter feel like he's better than a teacher or policeman or janitor. It's not like they earned a degree to go in this line of work. If you don't like the wages, go back to school and take a different path. We're becoming a society of helpless victims.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Calminian said:


> So then find a new line of work, or find a promotion that's willing to go broke for you.
> 
> 
> 
> Honestly, what makes a fighter feel like he's better than a teacher or policeman or janitor. It's not like they earned a degree to go in this line of work. If you don't like the wages, go back to school and take a different path. We're becoming a society of helpless victims.


Teachers are always on strike to get more money, this is a constant in society. Becoming a teacher is not that difficult either. A janitor doesn't need to train for years to develop the skills to sweep the floor either, and his output does not generate millions for his employers. In most countries your earning power comes in line with the amount of training and your skill level. So if you go get your PhD and lecture in a university your income is going to be a lot higher then a regular teacher and rightly so. 

The find a new line of work argument is fine, but at the end of the day we actual want people to fight do we not? Dont we want the best fighters in the world competing for our entertainment? and being able to support themselves, maybe buy a home for their family for example? Men and women who have dedicated their lives to their sport? We are willing to pay a lot of money for that, yet that money is not finding it way to those people who are entertaining us. Its not a sob story for the fighters, there is an imbalance right now that needs to be corrected. Before its been one person at a time complaining, and Dana White jumps on them and poisons the public against them so they get no traction. But now if there is a class action things may well change. I dont think it will be any up and coming fighters, it will be a group of retired guys or guys at the end of their careers for sure


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

What I dont understand is why anyone here would be on the side of the UFC and not the fighters when it comes to money. The UFC guys are all mega rich, why on earth should the fighters not get paid more in this so called fastest growing sport in the world. We are fans, but don't want the fighters to get paid what they deserve? Why not, do they not entertain us as much as other athletes? Why adopt an attitude of 'go get another job' if you don't like it, when there is clearly enough money in the pot to pay the fighters better.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

DonRifle said:


> Teachers are always on strike to get more money....


No that's just public sector teachers. The vast majority never go on strike and rarely complain. 



DonRifle said:


> The find a new line of work argument is fine, but at the end of the day we actual want people to fight do we not?......


No, we just want the best to fight. There are millions of football players that never make it to the NFL. The fighters complaining of low pay are usually not that good anymore like Nate Diaz. So they sign for the best they can get, and then complain when they keep losing. I want the winners to get paid, and the losers to eventual drop out.


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## Calminian (Feb 1, 2009)

DonRifle said:


> What I dont understand is why anyone here would be on the side of the UFC and not the fighters when it comes to money. The UFC guys are all mega rich...


Let me guess. you're a 99%er, those guys who protest in tents and defecate on sidewalks. No, I am not envious of the rich, I admire the rich. They excelled and were successful. Why should an average fighter make as much as they do? This is your problem. You're jealous of successful people.


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

Perhaps if the UFC had to pay its fighters considerably more money, they would not still be around. The UFC has a business model, and its a successful one. We should be grateful that the Fertitas and Dana White have created such a successful business, else MMA might have died an early death.

Sadly, where there's profit there's greed - and that goes for both sides.

Lets not forget fighters are responsible for subsidising their own income with sponsers etc.

Do the best fighters in the world complain they're not being paid enough? Or is it the guys who arent quite at that level? And is it justified?

A guy like Nate Diaz could fight 4 times a year @ $15,000 per fight - with potential $50,000 bonus per fight on top of that. Then a substantial amount from sponsors. That aint a bad paycheque for doing something you love.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Calminian said:


> Let me guess. you're a 99%er, those guys who protest in tents and defecate on sidewalks. No, I am not envious of the rich, I admire the rich. They excelled and were successful. Why should an average fighter make as much as they do? This is your problem. You're jealous of successful people.


Lol dude. Your not the sharpest tool in the box are you? You have no concept of business as you showed earlier. But at least you admire me based on what you have said above. Theres a nice irony in that, just like the irony in someone who champions Monopolies in the name of freedom of choice lol

Im sure Kat Zingano's fight fee of $8000 of which she would receive around $3000 after expenses is really reflective of her talent. But Im guessing a peasant like yourself can easily survive on around $10000 a year living in your trailer.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

DeeJay said:


> Perhaps if the UFC had to pay its fighters considerably more money, they would not still be around. The UFC has a business model, and its a successful one. We should be grateful that the Fertitas and Dana White have created such a successful business, else MMA might have died an early death.
> 
> Sadly, where there's profit there's greed - and that goes for both sides.
> 
> ...


Fighter take home pay as mentioned is roughly 1 third of their gross amount. A fighter getting 45K for 3 appearances earns 15K a year + sponsorship which is also taxed. Do you think thats a fair salary? 
The fighters are just looking for a fair situation and they should fight to get it. Dana and the Fertitas are already billionaires. Should they keep getting richer and richer while the fighters struggle?


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

DonRifle said:


> Fighter take home pay as mentioned is roughly 1 third of their gross amount. A fighter getting 45K for 3 appearances earns 15K a year + sponsorship which is also taxed. Do you think thats a fair salary?
> The fighters are just looking for a fair situation and they should fight to get it. Dana and the Fertitas are already billionaires. Should they keep getting richer and richer while the fighters struggle?


I think if youre good enough at what you do, you'll get the money. 

Sick of all the bitching about not earning enough. Thats right, EARNING. They gotta earn that paper, its not a given right.

Without seeing the business model and cash flow of the UFC its pretty hard to say "they should pay fighters $xx" 

But again, the fighters know the score before they sign. You know what my boss would say to me if I told him i'm tired of not earning big bucks? He'd tell me to [email protected]#ck off somewhere else if I didn't like it, and its the same for these guys.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

DonRifle said:


> Teachers are always on strike to get more money, this is a constant in society. Becoming a teacher is not that difficult either. A janitor doesn't need to train for years to develop the skills to sweep the floor either, and his output does not generate millions for his employers. In most countries your earning power comes in line with the amount of training and your skill level. So if you go get your PhD and lecture in a university your income is going to be a lot higher then a regular teacher and rightly so.
> 
> The find a new line of work argument is fine, but at the end of the day we actual want people to fight do we not? Dont we want the best fighters in the world competing for our entertainment? and being able to support themselves, maybe buy a home for their family for example? Men and women who have dedicated their lives to their sport? We are willing to pay a lot of money for that, yet that money is not finding it way to those people who are entertaining us. Its not a sob story for the fighters, there is an imbalance right now that needs to be corrected. Before its been one person at a time complaining, and Dana White jumps on them and poisons the public against them so they get no traction. But now if there is a class action things may well change. I dont think it will be any up and coming fighters, it will be a group of retired guys or guys at the end of their careers for sure


Im all about this post.

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## JASONJRF (Nov 3, 2009)

I think the leauge minimum should be something like 30,000/30,000 the lower guys I think don't get paid enough but not by a ton. They should make enough once you hit the UFC to live comfortably. 30g to show and another 30 to win or even 20/20 is enough with sponsors and other stuff. 8/8 is not enough IMO. That being said I think a lot of fighters don't invest thier money correctly and just spend. A guy like Rich Franklin was the champ but not in the time where champ's made a ton but he is doing ok because he is smart. Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, even Renzo Gracie these guys didn't get Rich from UFC maybe Hughes but they were smart with their money. If I had 100,000 dollars it would be easy to take that money and make more money no problem not just spend it. 

I do think a fighter's Union would be good though it would make sure the fighters are getting what they need.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

Since there isn't a commission other than for PED testing and Zuffa is privately owned they control the payroll salary. Rehashing what I said earlier. They are now in the position to increase payroll if it makes financial sense. The market is only willing to pay for what your value is. Thus if they don't like the UFC policies or salary they can go to Bellator or ONE FC. Someone with tremendous clout and leadership has to step up. Someone like GSP, Anderson, and perhaps the LHW title holder combined can truly change things. Otherwise can you blame the UFC. For the most part they're putting on solid cards. But I do feel there should be a minimum bar set at $10k-$20k for entry level fighters. Starting salary for NBA players is somewhere in the half a mill ball park range last I checked. It's getting there. Remember kiddos Royce Gracie won $50k fighting three times in one night winning the UFC tourney format. It's come a long way since then, but still a long ways to go...


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

One of the firms going after the UFC was able to get 450mill from Apple. So I find it hilarious that some people here sweep this under the rug like "yea right, good luck". 

Also, reading Cal mans posts make me dumber.


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## Killz (Oct 5, 2009)

jonnyg4508 said:


> One of the firms going after the UFC was able to get 450mill from Apple. So I find it hilarious that some people here sweep this under the rug like "yea right, good luck".
> 
> Also, reading Cal mans posts make me dumber.


That means absolutely nothing. They aren't even comparible situations. You are literally comparing apples and oranges. (See what I did there? :thumb02: )


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Killz said:


> That means absolutely nothing. They aren't even comparible situations. You are literally comparing apples and oranges. (See what I did there? :thumb02: )


Aye but these class action lawsuits are not taken on by powerful law firms unless there is a good chance of winning. Because they cost a shit load of billable hours and often go on for years. I dont reckon Sean Sherk or any other fighter I could think of would be able to afford that kind of wedge right now. So the firm will be doing a % of the payout, and you can be sure guys that good at their job would have at least a pretty good idea of what they are getting into and whether they can win or not. 

I agree with whats been said about raising these minimums higher, if a fighter is fighting 3 times a year at the UFC they should be on at least 15/15. He wins 2 of his 3 fight he is earning 75K + sponsors which should be enough for a guy outside the top 15 in the world to live on after tax and coaches are paid. He can do it full time and hope he can break into that top tier to make the real $$$. Personally I dont want to see Kat Zingano serving me my chicken McNuggets in the local mcdonalds. She is welcome to do a private serving though.


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## King Daisuke (Mar 25, 2013)

Is DeeJay a shill? :bye01:


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

How long have you been waiting to make that comparison Killz...keke. DR's posts makes sense. I wonder who facilitated the class action lawsuit.


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## Killz (Oct 5, 2009)

I know none of the details of either law suit... I just wanted to make the apple pun


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## Term (Jul 28, 2009)

So if lawsuit goes against the UFC the real winners will be the law firms. They are the ones really taking most of the monetary risk and have the know how to get the money. The fighters will get a very small percentage. Sound familiar. :thumb03:


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Term said:


> So if lawsuit goes against the UFC the real winners will be the law firms. They are the ones really taking most of the monetary risk and have the know how to get the money. The fighters will get a very small percentage. Sound familiar. :thumb03:


Usually in cases like these the standard award is 25-35% + expenses. This amount is actually decided by another court that makes a ruling on the fee for a class action. 
So the fighters would get the lions share. 

http://law.duke.edu/grouplit/papers/classactionalexander.pdf


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

Killz said:


> That means absolutely nothing. They aren't even comparible situations. You are literally comparing apples and oranges. (See what I did there? :thumb02: )


No I really didn't.

Every legal situation is a different animal. The point was the firms repping the fighters are much bigger and better than the last time around if you remember. getting 450mill out of Apple shows that they are big enough and good enough to not get pushed around by big business. 

I don't mind spelling things out for those that need it.


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## JASONJRF (Nov 3, 2009)

No_Mercy said:


> Since there isn't a commission other than for PED testing and Zuffa is privately owned they control the payroll salary. Rehashing what I said earlier. They are now in the position to increase payroll if it makes financial sense. The market is only willing to pay for what your value is. Thus if they don't like the UFC policies or salary they can go to Bellator or ONE FC. Someone with tremendous clout and leadership has to step up. Someone like GSP, Anderson, and perhaps the LHW title holder combined can truly change things. Otherwise can you blame the UFC. For the most part they're putting on solid cards. But I do feel there should be a minimum bar set at $10k-$20k for entry level fighters. Starting salary for NBA players is somewhere in the half a mill ball park range last I checked. It's getting there. Remember kiddos Royce Gracie won $50k fighting three times in one night winning the UFC tourney format. It's come a long way since then, but still a long ways to go...


Absolutely also you do have to look at all the backstage money that get's handed out. You also have to consider that the UFC is still expanding rapidly which is expensive,

The UFC has done a lot of good things too got the sport to where it is today. They have added health insurance for fighters something that was not done before them, meaning fighters would only get medical covered if it happened in a fight meaning all the injuries in training they were shit out of luck which caused a lot of fighters to go into fights very injured then disclose the injury later and say it happened in the fight. 

I think the UFC does care about there fighters but they have watched organizations like Affliction bank on 1 fighter and way way way overpay fighters. Strikeforce is another one and even Pride, Elite XC. When you overpay your fighters you organization will crumble and go bankrupt. UFC knows this and they have a business model that works for them.

With as much money as Bellator has I think you will see more and more instances like Gilbert Melendaz because fighters have somewhere else to go now. Granted not as good or big as UFC but Bellator is getting better.


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

Le, Fitch, Quarry named as heads of this. Of course no only fighters involved.


"Dana White is rich enough to import snow to his driveway. Meanwhile, UFC fighters have to work as refrigerator repairmen. This is bad." - cagepotato

Lol

"If your defending a multimillion dollar company's abuse of its employees, what the **** is wrong with you?"

Underground journalists and sites get it. Oh yea wonder why all other places hace reported a bit on this yet Ariel Helwani hasnt said a word. Biggest UFC sheep ever. Overrated as all hell too.

The ?Promotion Clause,? which requires UFC Fighters to attend, cooperate and assist in the promotion of bouts in which they fight and,

as required by the UFC, any other bouts, events, broadcasts, press conferences and sale of merchandise, for no additional compensation.

By contrast, no affirmative obligation exists for the UFC to promote the UFC Fighter.


Per suit, UFC has maintained control of more than 90 percent of the revenue derived from live MMA bouts nationwide.


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

I'm sure we'll hear Sherks name in no time.


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

Fitch, Quarry and Le. All guys who have been ditched or put on the UFC don't know don't care list. This would have looked better had they gotten a current ufc guy.


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## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

Life B Ez said:


> Fitch, Quarry and Le. All guys who have been ditched or put on the UFC don't know don't care list. This would have looked better had they gotten a current ufc guy.


Unfortunately that isn't likely as most of the guys the UFC retains are not the type to bite the hand that feeds. The UFC likes company men and that is who they will hold on to and promote. So current fighters, just in the interest of their careers, are not likely to sound out unless it seems like this lawsuit is going somewhere I think. 

The Diazes are obvious exceptions and it should still be noted that their careers are constantly tumultuous as a result despite being consistently around the top of their weight classes.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

Jon Fitch is a bitter little man. I'm sure there is a good chance the plaintiffs win as the UFC definitely have some dodgy practices but I want this to fail just because it's Fitch and the guy is a jackass. 

He is a man who would run the whole sport of MMA into the ground to benefit himself... F U Fitch.


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

The lawyer thanked Carlos Newton for helping bring the lawsuit together.... wth. ??


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

http://t.co/WUvBu89wl4

That is the case filed in pdf.

And no not **** fitch. H3 resisted to be put in a video game and tried to negotiate it. He was then cut until he agreed. The whole video game thing is ridiculous. They threatened tp cut or ban anyone who signed with EA. They required theit likeness to be used with zero compensation for it. If someone didnt like it they were offed. 

But oh the UFC sheep fans will somehow spin it like that isnt some bullshit.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

Like I've said there is probably grounds for the UFC getting sued but Fitch is a serial bitch who makes me want the case to fail. He has complained about every organization at some point and has pleaded poverty (as a millionaire!) He is just a guy who in my opinion is an entitled idiot and rubs me completely the wrong way.

Tbh I'm not overly impressed with the initial case. They've used Bellator being a minor league company kept down by the UFC as a fairly large argument when it's not true and even Viacom themselves have refused to jump on board with the lawsuit...
As Chael P just stated at the moment this is looking like a shakedown.


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## suffersystem (Feb 4, 2007)

jonnyg4508 said:


> Le, Fitch, Quarry named as heads of this. Of course no only fighters involved.
> 
> 
> "Dana White is rich enough to import snow to his driveway. Meanwhile, UFC fighters have to work as refrigerator repairmen. This is bad." - cagepotato
> ...




I find it very hard to beleive the UFC gets 90% of the world's MMA revenue. Didn't Fitch just lose in a fight that was broadcast to 90 million homes? Seems like a pretty good deal considering UFC is apparently a monopoly.


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

Pete Spratt is on the Facebook BJ Penn link saying he wants to take part in the lawsuit lol...


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## suffersystem (Feb 4, 2007)

UFC responds.

The UFC is aware of the action filed today but has not been served, nor has it had the opportunity to review the document. The UFC will vigorously defend itself and its business practices.


http://www.ufc.ca/news/ufc-response


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Could they find a more bitter group of random bitterness. While there may be a couple of legit complaints (The Game stuff/Le's steroid stuff) the truth is that the case as a combined unit is absurd. I don't get it, Quarry competed through the tenures of Pride/SF/Bellator/Elite XC/IFL/Bodog/King of the Cage/Affliction/K-1 Heroes, hell the UFC never had as much competition, Le spent most of his career outside the UFC and was never paid as much as Zuffa pays him, Then you have Fitch who currently fights outside the UFC (Not by choice) for a company on a major netwook. The face of the lawsuit makes it look bad IMO, it could only have looked more bitterly motivated if the had Tito/Ken Shamrock/Randy Couture stroll in.


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

Reading some of the lawsuit. It basically just sounds like a bunch of crying babies. Oh Dana was mean to people. They are using things he's said on twitter and things they've used like "world domination" as evidence. It's kind of sad.

They are saying the UFC "used their power" to block rival promotions. Well yeah that's what businesses do. Do you think if Coke could sign a deal to make it so Pepsi couldn't have superbowl commercials they wouldn't? 

The only legitimate thing I see is them talking about how ufc fighters get less the 20% of the revenue generated from fights they are in where as Floyd makes more like 80%. Except Floyd is the promoter of his own fights. And and so they have guys were never main event guys like a Floyd. If GSP or even Randy was involved in this it would look much better.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

Agree with Toxic and Life b Ez. It's hard to take this seriously when the fighters involved so far have proven themselves to be bitter cry babies. Latest fighter to jump on board is Cody McKenzie!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I think fighters are likely to get a payout for the likeness stuff. But anything to do with being a monopoly is laughable! Bellator drawing big on spike and WSOF on NBC is all the UFC need to counter with. I also understand the UFC have a good working relationship with Titan Fights and BAMMA so they can use that too.

Like I said before Viacom have refused to get involved with this lawsuit which points to it being complete BS.


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## Canadian Psycho (Apr 22, 2007)

Certain of the grievances appear legitimate. Others are groundless. And while I fully admit that the suit seems wrought with "hurt feelings", it will certainly be interesting to see which issues the fighters succeed on and which issues are thrown out by the courts. 

I'm a big city lawyer, and I could easily speculate as to what may happen. But I won't. And neither should any of you fly-by-night attorneys. Just sit back and enjoy the drama.


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## Term (Jul 28, 2009)

Canadian Psycho said:


> I'm a big city lawyer, and I could easily speculate as to what may happen. But I won't. And neither should any of you fly-by-night attorneys. Just sit back and enjoy the drama.


But where would be the fun in that.


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

Hasnt it been said over and over that these 3 are by no means the only fighters in this?


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Good to see everyone isn't on the anti-UFC wagon around here.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> Good to see everyone isn't on the anti-UFC wagon around here.


I try to look at what the media guys opinions are and by this I don't mean Helwani and guys who work for the UFC, I mean the honest fringe guys like Luke Thomas, John Morgan and FRB. 
Pretty much all informed media outlets think this lawsuit is a joke, even the ones that are critical of the UFC. That tells you all you need to know.

Also I'd be really insulted if I was the UFC. Nate Quarry got paid $90,000 (without sponsorship) for his penultimate UFC fight. That's a lot for a sub par fighter how ungrateful is he!!!?


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## systemdnb (Dec 7, 2008)

The thing that's cracking me up about this is the UFC is going to have to get their lawyers to admit like they have legitimate competition. Something that Dana always denies.


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## e-thug (Jan 18, 2007)

I cant respond to everyone, but somethings that need to be cleared up, first, read this:



> The primary lawfirms involved are Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc (recently in news for successful antitrust case against Apple, Google, Adobe other tech giants) - Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC (involved in $1billion+ victory against Dow Chemical and $500mil victory against Countrywide Financial Corporation) - Berger & Montague, P.C. It will also be taking place in the Bay Area in California. That's the home to Le and also a notoriously plaintiff friendly state in antitrust cases.


This aint some rinky dink lawfirm being funded by Fitch/Le/Quarry and they certainly wouldn't be going after the UFC unless they knew they could get some $$$ out of it.

1) Class-actions are opt-out, you’re in the suit unless you CHOOSE to drop out. Given that being a member of a class will entitle you to a portion of the damages if the case is successful, with literally zero downside risk, there’s not much reason to opt-out.

2) WSOF/Titan and UFC are far too buddy, buddy to be considered "promotion rivals", the amount of fighters that go from UFC to WSOF and vice versa so seamlessly is very fishy, if the lawyers can show that there is some sort of affiliation there then it would further stoke the monopolization fire. 

3) Can you really blame Fitch for being angry? The UFC strong armed his entire camp to sign for the UFC game likeness not to earn a penny off it, after being an elite WW and arguably #2 for several years was cut after 1 fight losing skid to Demian Maia, I'm no fan of Fitch's fighting style at all but that cut was one of the worst in UFC history.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

edlavis88 said:


> Like I've said there is probably grounds for the UFC getting sued but Fitch is a serial bitch who makes me want the case to fail. He has complained about every organization at some point and has pleaded poverty (as a millionaire!) He is just a guy who in my opinion is an entitled idiot and rubs me completely the wrong way.
> 
> Tbh I'm not overly impressed with the initial case. They've used Bellator being a minor league company kept down by the UFC as a fairly large argument when it's not true and even Viacom themselves have refused to jump on board with the lawsuit...
> As Chael P just stated at the moment this is looking like a shakedown.


Come on Ed, Fitch is no millionaire. Making $1m cumulatively over your career does not make you anywhere near that status. Darren Bent in your avatar is a multi millionaire who gets $100,000 per week and he can't even get a game in the premier league now. Fitch earned 100K a year and fed his family out of that and you call him a millionaire. Quite unjust to hate on fitch for that. Sure hate him for laying and praying but the guy did not make a lot of money for being a perennial top 5 guy.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

Toxic said:


> Could they find a more bitter group of random bitterness. While there may be a couple of legit complaints (The Game stuff/Le's steroid stuff) the truth is that the case as a combined unit is absurd. I don't get it, Quarry competed through the tenures of Pride/SF/Bellator/Elite XC/IFL/Bodog/King of the Cage/Affliction/K-1 Heroes, hell the UFC never had as much competition, Le spent most of his career outside the UFC and was never paid as much as Zuffa pays him, Then you have Fitch who currently fights outside the UFC (Not by choice) for a company on a major netwook. The face of the lawsuit makes it look bad IMO, it could only have looked more bitterly motivated if the had Tito/Ken Shamrock/Randy Couture stroll in.


Do you mean all the guys who Dana poisoned the public against as soon as they spoke anything about the organisation that wasn't the company spiel? 
Tito, Ken and Randy are 3 of the 4 or 5 most important guys ever in the organisation, but Dana has poisoned the world against these guys because they spoke up for the fighters. And they did it at a time when it was not popular and they were the only ones doing it, and got pure hate for it from every angle. Those guys deserve huge respect for taking it to the UFC with no wingman. 

From what I know about class actions, our resident terrorist lawyer from Canada might correct me  but you can jump in on a case filed like this, and join the class so to speak. So Im thinking the ball has started to roll, and we will see various other names attach themselves to this. The more the merrier for the law firm especially if some championship guys join, as they would probably have a much bigger loss of earnings. 

I dont think we'll be seeing the UFC cutting top 10 guys again for a long time.....


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

e-thug said:


> This aint some rinky dink lawfirm being funded by Fitch/Le/Quarry and they certainly wouldn't be going after the UFC unless they knew they could get some $$$ out of it.
> 
> 1) Class-actions are opt-out, you’re in the suit unless you CHOOSE to drop out. Given that being a member of a class will entitle you to a portion of the damages if the case is successful, with literally zero downside risk, there’s not much reason to opt-out.
> 
> ...


Not sure about your 2nd bullet, but I agree with this post. Good post. 

The firms repping the fighters side are FAAAAAAR more important than who the few fighters up there are. Some people don't want to acknowledge this for some reason. Nate Quarry isn't defeating the UFC and the judges don't care if he is bitter or whatever you want to call him. The guys reppping the fighters here are big time guys with a big time history of being awarded large sums of money verses large time companies. 

The 3rd point is spot on. I used to be a big Fitch fan pre title shot---during shot---shortly after. But then disliked him whole heartedly. Has nothing to do with my opinion here. What does how much I like John Fitch matter here? God forbid athletes in "the fastest growing sport" try to get compensated for. A small fraction of them are "rich" a larger % have 2nd jobs. None have any retirement security. None of them have any decent job security. UFC has no fighters Union.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

jonnyg4508 said:


> Not sure about your 2nd bullet, but I agree with this post. Good post.
> 
> The firms repping the fighters side are FAAAAAAR more important than who the few fighters up there are. Some people don't want to acknowledge this for some reason. Nate Quarry isn't defeating the UFC and the judges don't care if he is bitter or whatever you want to call him. The guys reppping the fighters here are big time guys with a big time history of being awarded large sums of money verses large time companies.
> 
> The 3rd point is spot on. I used to be a big Fitch fan pre title shot---during shot---shortly after. But then disliked him whole heartedly. Has nothing to do with my opinion here. What does how much I like John Fitch matter here? God forbid athletes in "the fastest growing sport" try to get compensated for. A small fraction of them are "rich" a larger % have 2nd jobs. None have any retirement security. None of them have any decent job security. UFC has no fighters Union.


I'll admit that I am definitely letting my personal animosity towards Fitch influence how I feel about those case. I do see it as somewhat relevant though. Fitch is one of those out of touch guys imo. from reading his interviews and reading about him he comes off as one of those entitled guys who has come from being a div 1 wrestler into MMA and 
Rarely if ever actually had to work a regular job like the rest of us. He did an interview saying he was 'forced' into taking a job as a MMA coach at a fitness centre, like its a burden none of us can understand!! So I just see him and many like him (notice 90% of the people who bitch in MMA come from privileged college sports backgrounds) as having a very inflated sense of self worth and seem out of touch with what the real-world of work is actually like.

To your second point yes these firms are scary and have a great record in class action suits. But this case is waaay different to the stuff with Apple. Apple's abuse of its power is clear to see to even normal folks, this case has a LOT more grey area where the UFC have acted unreasonably but not necessarily illegally. That's not to say there won't be some payout but I feel the vast majority of it will be dismissed.


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## e-thug (Jan 18, 2007)

jonnyg4508 said:


> Not sure about your 2nd bullet, but I agree with this post. Good post.


UFC/WSOF Conspiracy, there could be something there if the lawyers can find it:



> Sig Rogich & Lorenzo Fertitta are long-time friends. In politics, in business, and in public.
> 
> Sig Rogich is the CEO of WSOF. He is one of the most influential political players in Nevada. 'Maybe' even more influential as Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta. Rogich has been involved with a number of state & national political campaigns and been an adviser to a number of state & federal administrations. The big-wig political circles are one thing... for MMA the NSAC is something totally different.
> 
> ...


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

edlavis88 said:


> jonnyg4508 said:
> 
> 
> > Not sure about your 2nd bullet, but I agree with this post. Good post.
> ...


So during his title run thr ufc can dipict on the countdown show of Fitch...this tough as they come hard workers. Sleeping on friends couches. Wiping his hands on his dog. And working just to train.

Then FF to now and we have fans saying rarely if ever he had to work regualar job.

Lmao!!!! Dana sure is good. Can sell you on Fitch's tough as hell past. Just to jave fans later claiming Fitch is entitled just to defend.....the good guy Dana White.

Bahahahahahah! You cant make this shit up if you tried!

Also, priviledged college sports backgrounds? What on earth are you babbling about? Many guy who earn a D1 scholorship are not weathly spoon fed bitches. Do you realize many of these guys had to get into sports and work their ass off as teen just to get said scholorship? Otherwise they were not getting a higher education. What is priviledged about working hard at a craft and earning a scholorship from said craft? Then working night and day as an athlete and student?

You sound clueless. Come to think of it evwry single guy I grew up with who got a D1 offer was from a poor to modest earning family. Where his only shot at going to college was a scholorship. Get real.


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## Anteries (Oct 22, 2010)

I think this lawsuit is civilisation working correctly. Human beings like you and I are extremely greedy. If they can get away with it legally the UFC will continue its in my opinion disgusting unfair treatment of fighters, paying them peanuts. To me they seem like greedy parasites becoming rich off the blood sweat and tears of the fighters. On the other hand they do provide fabulous entertainment for me which is nice. And also fighters will fight for peanuts for the fame and machismo of fighting in the UFC. Some might argue if they agree to fight for next to nothing then it's their free choice. But the sinister thing is their contractual shenanigans, which stink to high heaven. Me and I think most people are praying that the UFC get their comeuppance.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

I'll post any updates on this thread unless it's breaking news!

*However it plays out, the process of the antitrust lawsuit against the UFC bound to get ugly*



> When Chris Wilson was getting set to fight Jon Fitch at UFC 82, back when Fitch was Fitch and Wilson was just some dude, I can remember asking the kindly "Professor" if he was intimidated stepping in there against an established contender. "No, not at all," Wilson said. "What is Fitch going to do, summon the wind?"
> 
> Cut to six years later, exactly 100 pay-per-views removed as we near UFC 182, and Wilson has his answer. Here is Fitch summoning the wind.
> 
> ...


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

jonnyg4508 said:


> So during his title run thr ufc can dipict on the countdown show of Fitch...this tough as they come hard workers. Sleeping on friends couches. Wiping his hands on his dog. And working just to train.
> 
> Then FF to now and we have fans saying rarely if ever he had to work regualar job.
> 
> ...


I think our definition of a hard life/privileged life is different. I come from a working class background I went to university whilst working a job and playing tennis at a national level, I consider myself to be privileged, not a victim or hard done by! I stick by my opinion that Fitch seems very entitled. It's come from Fitch's own mouth that he averaged $176,000 a year in the UFC without including sponsorships. 

Now consider Fitch generally fought 3 times a year and take 4-6 weeks off After a fight and you have a guy who with sponsorship money is earning in excess of $200,000 a year working a schedule that in normal jobs would be considered part time! And this guy has the audacity to moan to the public about how hard his life is!! I don't put sportsmen up on the pedestal many do soI have zero time for that kind of thing. If Fitch hates it so much go get a day job.

I get his point about the video game and think the UFC are way out of line with how the try to control fighter likenesses. I hope they get punished for that in this lawsuit but I simply can't get on board with Fitch's other grievances because I don't agree with him. i don't think that makes me Dana's bitch or a UFC fanboy.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

edlavis88 said:


> I think our definition of a hard life/privileged life is different. I come from a working class background I went to university whilst working a job and playing *tennis at a national level*, I consider myself to be privileged, not a victim or hard done by! I stick by my opinion that Fitch seems very entitled. It's come from Fitch's own mouth that he averaged $176,000 a year in the UFC without including sponsorships.
> 
> Now consider Fitch generally fought 3 times a year and take 4-6 weeks off After a fight and you have a guy who with sponsorship money is earning in excess of $200,000 a year working a schedule that in normal jobs would be considered part time! And this guy has the audacity to moan to the public about how hard his life is!! I don't put sportsmen up on the pedestal many do soI have zero time for that kind of thing. If Fitch hates it so much go get a day job.
> 
> I get his point about the video game and think the UFC are way out of line with how the try to control fighter likenesses. I hope they get punished for that in this lawsuit but I simply can't get on board with Fitch's other grievances because I don't agree with him. i don't think that makes me Dana's bitch or a UFC fanboy.


What's the proper technique for a kick serve. Do you pronate the opposite way from a slice.


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## HellRazor (Sep 24, 2006)

Zuffa already owned the WEC, no acquisition there, just rebranding.
Pride was financially busted when Zuffa bought it, and when the news of fixed fights followed, they were soon dead anyway.
Strikeforce didn't HAVE to sell to Zuffa. Scott Coker took the money, and he's bacl with Bellator.

The fact that the UFC allows fighters to fight for them, then WSOF and Invicta, and then for them again, fosters the sport. It means more opportunities for more fighters.

I very much doubt Lorenzo Fertitta is shaking in his boots. And it will be frank or Lorenzo Fertitta who's the pint man on this, not Dana.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

No_Mercy said:


> What's the proper technique for a kick serve. Do you pronate the opposite way from a slice.


Not really no. You want to be brushing up the backside of the ball like a 8oclock to 2oclock angle. It's probably more topspin that creates a kick rather than side spin. I'm not sure why it's relevant though :confused02:


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

edlavis88 said:


> Not really no. You want to be brushing up the backside of the ball like a 8oclock to 2oclock angle. It's probably more topspin that creates a kick rather than side spin. I'm not sure why it's relevant though :confused02:


It's absolutely relevant. Cheers!  I've been trying to perfect that technique for decades now. Stefan Edberg had a wicked kick serve. 

I wonder where Randy is in all of this along with Tito, Ken, Frank, and Carlos Newton.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

No_Mercy said:


> It's absolutely relevant. Cheers!  I've been trying to perfect that technique for decades now. Stefan Edberg had a wicked kick serve.
> 
> I wonder where Randy is in all of this along with Tito, Ken, Frank, and Carlos Newton.


Check out Pat Rafter's, imo best kick serve of all time. Kicked some 6 foot outside the tramlines!!

I think Randy and Tito in particular have beef more with Dana than the UFC itself. I'm sure if this was a court case specifically against Dana there would be a lot more involved! :thumb02:


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

edlavis88 said:


> Check out Pat Rafter's, imo best kick serve of all time. Kicked some 6 foot outside the tramlines!!
> 
> I think Randy and Tito in particular have beef more with Dana than the UFC itself. I'm sure if this was a court case specifically against Dana there would be a lot more involved! :thumb02:


Dana vs the world. I often wonder how it's like to be in his head. Livin' life large, with a lot of baggage. I think he's enjoying it. Why not...although Biggie said it best. Mo money mo problems.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

Didn't Dana's own mum try and sue him? You've got a few problems if that's happening! 
There are a few very valid points in the lawsuit but most of it seems to boil down to people feeling disgruntled at how Dana and the other bosses have treated them. If people sued every boss that they've had who had been an asshole to them the courts would have to be open 24/7!


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

edlavis88 said:


> *Didn't Dana's own mum try and sue him?* You've got a few problems if that's happening!
> There are a few very valid points in the lawsuit but most of it seems to boil down to people feeling disgruntled at how Dana and the other bosses have treated them. If people sued every boss that they've had who had been an asshole to them the courts would have to be open 24/7!


Can you confirm that...lolz? He is Lex Luther then.

I have a few disgruntled past employees...those lazy sons of bees wax.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

Ah no I got it slightly wrong he was going to sue her for defamation of character because she wrote a book flaming him, calling him a tyrant and other stuff. Pretty dysfunctional!


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

edlavis88 said:


> Ah no I got it slightly wrong he was going to sue her for defamation of character because she wrote a book flaming him, calling him a tyrant and other stuff. Pretty dysfunctional!


That is comical! I gotta read into that. Ya gotta think under the immense pressure of running a company and dealing with these unordinary problems could lead to mental issues if you will. Attended a business meeting once and the topic of sex came up. One associate blurted out he needed to do it daily otherwise he'd go "crazy" just to get his mind off things. Roflz! It's maddening. It's a "Mad Mad Mad World!"


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## Oax (Nov 23, 2014)

I don't think this will amount to much to be honest but I'm very, very curious as to how things will turn out. Quarry in my opinion is the only one of the plaintiffs who is making much sense out of this whole situation. I liked Fitch back in the day but the guy is so bitter and I can't comment on Cung Le and his weird drug testing situation.




:thumbsup:


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

HellRazor said:


> Zuffa already owned the WEC, no acquisition there, just rebranding.
> Pride was financially busted when Zuffa bought it, and when the news of fixed fights followed, they were soon dead anyway.
> Strikeforce didn't HAVE to sell to Zuffa. Scott Coker took the money, and he's bacl with Bellator.
> 
> ...


Its against competition law to buy up all the competition. Because it was a new industry there was no regulatory body therefore its going to court now, which was inevitable to happen when the growth got to X point and the company wasn't being ethical with its stakeholders (employees). If you read all the charges against them, and the potential cost of this suit, he would be very much shaking in his boots at what this could cost them in the end. 
I dont know what the UFC defence is going to be, but the things they are quoting in the case that they have done are obvious instances of breaking these rules. If it were google or microsoft doing it with this list of charges they would be destroyed in court. 

The biggest problem is Dana did all his mouthing off in public which is going to come back to haunt him. Holding gravestones of your competition after you've destroyed them is not exactly the way to beat anti competitive charges .


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

No_Mercy said:


> It's absolutely relevant. Cheers!  I've been trying to perfect that technique for decades now. Stefan Edberg had a wicked kick serve.
> 
> I wonder where Randy is in all of this along with Tito, Ken, Frank, and Carlos Newton.


Randy is named in the case, because he was told to sign away his image rights for no monetary compensation, and when he didn't Dana airbrushed him off posters, and came with his various threats. Forcing your employees to sign away their assets and rights for free, because they have nowhere else to turn to compete at the highest level is bad practice to say the least and its extremely easy to prove when you tell people in public that your doing it!!
And thats what started the poisoning against Randy. Because he wouldn't sign away his image for free, he got destroyed in public by Dana White, with many people today still hating on Randy today thinking he is some moany guy, when he simply stood up for his basic rights as an athlete which any single of those guys who hate on him now would do themselves. What Dana White has done to Couture one of the most beloved guys in the history of the sport is absolutely horrible in my opinion and despite liking DW for a lot of things I hope he gets fu***** for doing that to people. 

BJ Penn is named in the suit as well, so is Fedor, Rampage, M1, Strikeforce, Bellator, and a variety of other organisations. I would imagine these people have all been talked to before the case to gather information and make sure they would testify in court and so on. 
I would say they consulted a PR team before they announced all of this and maybe decided Tito who would of been chomping at the bit to get into this was not the best guy to lead the strike. Im just guessing that but I feel like he will join this very soon.


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

And if this lawsuit causes the UFC to cut half its roster and only put on 5 cards a year, you guys would be happy?

Yeah some fighters may get paid a little more, but a lot of fighters will either go to smaller orginisations and get paid even less, or have to give up the sport entirely. 

Way to go guys!

Sure it would be nice to find a way for fighters to earn some more money, but this isn't the right way to go about it in my opinion. 

The UFC has done so much for the sport of MMA that a lot of fighters may not even be fighting if it wasn't for them. But people don't think about the bigger picture.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

The UFC do deserve to be punished if they've done illegal thing but it's definitely weird how many people on here (an MMA forum!) want to see the UFC crash and burn! I guess they're the same people who love a band until they become popular then inexplicably start hating them!

I love watching MMA if the UFC goes down there will be a lot less of it around,which isn't a good thing.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

edlavis88 said:


> The UFC do deserve to be punished if they've done illegal thing but it's definitely weird how many people on here (an MMA forum!) want to see the UFC crash and burn! I guess they're the same people who love a band until they become popular then inexplicably start hating them!
> 
> I love watching MMA if the UFC goes down there will be a lot less of it around,which isn't a good thing.


No its not about seeing them crash and burn. Its a simple matter of seeing them being punished for their bad practice, the fighters getting what they deserve, and creating a competitive landscape for MMA which will benefit us all. The only thing I hate them for is poisoning the public against hero's of mine that simply stood up for themselves. 

I dont believe anyone wants to see the UFC go out of business, and that won't happen. They will settle or pay a huge fine I believe and then we'll move on with a better platform for MMA to being a proper structure sport that doesn't have these massive imbalances that do not exist in any other serious sports. 

People are forgetting the whole reason for competition law is to benefit the consumers and employees which is us and the fighters. It will affect the wallet of DW and the fertitias, would you be that upset about that since they are billionaires already? Competition law is not about putting people out of business, its just about making them operate in a fair way It can only be good for the sport if that happens. I dont see how it can possibly be bad....


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

DonRifle said:


> No its not about seeing them crash and burn. Its a simple matter of seeing them being punished for their bad practice, the fighters getting what they deserve, and creating a competitive landscape for MMA which will benefit us all. The only thing I hate them for is poisoning the public against hero's of mine that simply stood up for themselves.
> 
> I dont believe anyone wants to see the UFC go out of business, and that won't happen. They will settle or pay a huge fine I believe and then we'll move on with a better platform for MMA to being a proper structure sport that doesn't have these massive imbalances that do not exist in any other serious sports.
> 
> People are forgetting the whole reason for competition law is to benefit the consumers and employees which is us and the fighters. It will affect the wallet of DW and the fertitias, would you be that upset about that since they are billionaires already? Competition law is not about putting people out of business, its just about making them operate in a fair way It can only be good for the sport if that happens.* I dont see how it can possibly be bad....*


As MMA slowly becomes like boxing, with fighter agents feeding their fighters cans, thousands of belts in the game. . . There's no "one thing fixes all" here. Personally, I like the fact that 99% of the best fighters are in the UFC and I want it to stay that way.


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## DonRifle (Jan 18, 2009)

DeeJay said:


> As MMA slowly becomes like boxing, with fighter agents feeding their fighters cans, thousands of belts in the game. . . There's no "one thing fixes all" here. Personally, I like the fact that 99% of the best fighters are in the UFC and I want it to stay that way.


Well that is a decent point. And actually there no reason it can't stay that way with the UFC having all the best fighters and always stay the top organisation. But they have to do that by legal means and they have to give a fair percentage of revenue to fighters, then there is no issue as they will have remained a Monopoly through skill alone.


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## DeeJay (Dec 5, 2014)

I think one thing everyone here can agree on is that a Fighters Union is needed and will benefit the whole sport, provided it's run with honesty and integrity.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

DeeJay said:


> I think one thing everyone here can agree on is that a Fighters Union is needed and will benefit the whole sport, provided it's run with honesty and integrity.


Sure, just make Randy Couture the president of it.


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