The UFC Isn't Just Denying (Some) Bloggers Credentials Anymore
by Luke Thomas on Apr 1, 2009 10:50 AM EDT
in News
31 comments
Now (some) managers and agents are in on the stiff arm:
Zuffa, the company that owns and operates both promotions, has notified select fighter representatives that they will no longer receive credentials from the promotion to sit with their clients backstage on fight night.
The reasoning behind the UFC’s decision varies according to the source. Some say the move is yet another strike in a campaign to separate fighters from their business representatives. Others say Zuffa is making a reasonable attempt to control unnecessary backstage traffic and lighten overcrowded dressing rooms of freeloaders.
The latter explanation loses traction, however, when the promotion has not enacted a blanket policy across the board, which brings into question if the move is more personal than procedural.
Par for the course, positively zero explanation was provided by the UFC. Now, I don't have any experience in this matter enough to know whether this is a move to improve efficiency backstage or another attempt to drive a wedge between fighters and their representatives. I've been backstage at smaller shows, but I have no real way of knowing how analogous the two experiences actually are.
I can say, however, the lack of any official response or explanation is typical poor form from Zuffa. It's the UFC's business, so whatever decisions they make are well within their rights, but when it comes to the art of finesse or transparency to explain positions adopted in the course of business, UFC management have characteristically been abject failures. In a previous life, I worked with several large corporations on how to improve corporate social responsibility and transparency efforts both in language and principle. I can say unequivocally I've never seen anything like the closed circle middle fingering Zuffa offers to those who draw their ire. Then again, if you believe there are no stakeholders beyond the confines of your inner circle, why bother? I'd remind Zuffa, though, that here, too, there is no free lunch. There is a price for selective bias, even if the wheels of justice grind slowly.
As to why a manager or agent would need to be backstage, again, I confess to not having enough experience to evaluate the UFC's decision. And I'm not suggesting the UFC doesn't have a case, but if they aren't willing to make it themselves I am certainly not here to do it for them. But Hunt lays out possible scenarios where managers and agents may nevertheless be needed:
Managers and agents can also act as liaisons between fighters and their families and often become the point person when an athlete is rushed to the hospital. Reps also observe drug testing and review medical suspensions with the commissions. These are roles that the reps said cornermen aren’t expected to perform and that fighters pay to have done so they won’t have to do themselves.
"We’ve had it where a fighter gets handed a [medical] suspension, put the paperwork in his bag, then forgot all about it," said another anonymous rep. "If you can get back there and do all that, then you allow everyone else to be focused on their jobs."
But it’s probably the scenarios that managers and agents might now miss that have them worried.
"There have been situations where business has been presented," said a rep, who also explained that fighters can be approached backstage by sponsors, commercial photographers and press, all toting release forms.
In addition to unreported locker room bonuses, fighter reps have told Sherdog.com that verbal contract extensions have taken place. One rep said his fighter was even presented with a written contract to sign without counsel advice before he could continue on with his duties that evening.
I'm certain they won't respond, but I'd like to know and I'd like the UFC to offer some kind of response: why is this happening? If I get a response, I'll let you know.
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Since it looks like a double post
I will post my comments from Nate’s post here also as I think it pertains to both of your points.
It was an opinion based piece that was handed off as a straight up news story in my opinion. Not a bad read, but shouldn’t be on the front page of sherdog without some proof. Some heafty accusations in there and they weren’t confirmed if they were all attributed to Zuffa or some other promotion.
That being said, not sure how to react to this. I see and understand both sides of the coin. My intial reaction to bringing the agent as the third cornerman was, can the fighters who are not fighting each other on the card warm each other up so as to save that third spot for the managers? Seems somewhat reasonable to me but I am not a fighter.
by Nick Travaglini on Apr 1, 2009 10:16 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wonder if there is any reason to question whether Hunt is an impartial party? Does she have a longstanding grudge against Zuffa? Are all the negative quotations free of attribution and accountability? Does the article make logical leaps that may not be fitting? Is it alarmist?
If the answer to any or all of these is “Yes”, you might just be reading a hit piece.
by Jonathan Snowden on Apr 1, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
you and kid nate almost posted your articles at the same time.. the approach is a bit different, but i just wanted to know if you knew he was writing about the same article.. :)
oh and i was thinking about putting up a series that would feature MMA art from different artists around the web, (mostly from deviantart, cause it’s complicated [and frowned upon] if i just pulled random images from the web without permission), It would help get those artists more exposure from the hits it would get from the BE community, and BE would have an entirely new concept or edge over the regular MMA site that only features news and opinion..
more traffic from a different market, more variety in BE’s media content, and it would be something that other sites dont have.. I really like the concept.
but what do you guys think?
Im thinking the post would be something simple like the Snapshot of the Day posts having the pic, and links, but with a more specific name like, “MMArt Feature of the Day” or “Mixed Martial Artwork” or maybe something even simpler, but you get the idea, just something like that..
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 1, 2009 10:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m not an editor, but that sounds pretty cool.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Apr 1, 2009 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“you and kid nate almost posted your articles at the same time.. the approach is a bit different, but i just wanted to know if you knew he was writing about the same article.. :)”
Yup.
by Luke Thomas on Apr 1, 2009 10:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
so im guessing you didn't like the concept?
maybe this would change your mind..
This is hand drawn.. I already have permission from the artist to post it.. there’s a lot more MMArt by VERYY talented people, so i guess like one feature a week [or maybe 2] on an artwork would be cool..
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 1, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
don't ask for permission
just do it.
I like the concept.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
by Kid Nate on Apr 1, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This...
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 1, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ok thanks.
im gonna post it now. I just talked with the artist and he’s stoked for having a chance to get his work out there. :)
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 1, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
middle fingering
This made me laugh and think “more like whole fisting”.
by szucconi on Apr 1, 2009 10:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wow...
I know I get called out for being overly Zuffa happy. But this is a really disgusting move by the company. Luke hit everything pretty well on the head but seriously, it’s very upsetting and the lack of any explanation from Zuffa is just more of the same old bullshit.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 1, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This story has been up for a couple of hours. Zuffa has an event today. Were you expecting a response immediately?
Disgusting is also a strong term. What is disgusting here? The managers are still welcome to come if the fighter wants them badly enough. And these kinds of situations are surely negotiable.
by Jonathan Snowden on Apr 1, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe I was a bit harsh
but that comes from a job where I don’t always get a lot of sleep and that leads to me being a little chippy. I think I should scale back a little. I was reading this more in the “attempt to distance fighters from management” but now that I’ve slowed down and read it I do think it could be more of an attempt to chill out the backstage situation a bit. I just don’t want to see fighters not have the ability to have their representatives around in situations where they may be needed. Obviously don’t bring 35 people you knew back home backstage but cornermen and management should be there.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 1, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was in the process of also pushing an article through the Fanpost system on this subject. If managers want to be backstage, they can do so through the cornerman ways, but this is still a tough issue to deal with.
As badly as some people hate Zach Arnold, he makes some good points in his article at FightOpinion, and he brings up some issues that I have long thought were going to be issues in the long run.
A. He believes this will hasten the possibility of fighters aligning with higher-profile, more powerful representation.
This is interesting because higher-profile equals more media exposure as those types of agents like to use media to bully negotiations. They will also have a stronger grasp on contract law as many are in that field to begin with or have vast backgrounds in the field.
Media exposure is something that Zuffa and the UFC wouldn’t want in this type of situation as evident in the Jon Fitch case in which it was quickly squashed.
B. A fighter with nothing to lose will take UFC to court in Nevada and obliterate the current contractual structure of deals between Zuffa LLC and its fighters.
A lot of people deny this will ever happen, but it’s a very, very real possibility if said fighter is in a certain circumstance and disgruntled. Zach brings up the argument that a fighter toward the end of his career, has the patience, and potentially a big bankroll, it could happen. Also, as with the Couture situation, a big backer could come in who has some interest in the MMA landscape and wants to change that.
While a lot of people shrug this off as typical Zach Arnold over the top making controversy out of nothing speculation, it’s far from that. I’ve been in legal battles involving contract clauses in the IT industry before, and I can safely say that most states would look at some of the clauses in Zuffa’s contracts and deem those clauses unreasonable in a second. Time-based clauses specifically are huge problems. Even in non-compete clauses, I’ve seen clauses thrown out in which 1 year to 6 months was deemed unreasonable.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, and shunning managers of fighters can be an anger-inducing thing. Will that likely happen? Not in the short-term because after all, Zuffa is the giant that everyone wants to be a part of.
Shrugging this off as nothing more than standard business practices is a bit ignorant in my mind. As the sport begins to increase it’s fanbase, make more revenue, and get some of these guys bigger deals and better sponsorships, you will begin to see sports agencies tap into this sport. You will then see horrendous Dana White feuds with agencies and media exposing these sorts of things which will in turn begin to fuel the possibilities of legal contractual battles and bad publicity.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Apr 1, 2009 11:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Assume that the top UFC stars will eventually move to larger talent agencies (of course this might not happen until the top UFC fighters are even at the median salary of NFL/NBA/MLB players). Will this really be among the top 50 issues for a super agent? When David Falk negotiated Michael Jordan’s contract do you think him sitting on the bench during the games was a major concern?
by Jonathan Snowden on Apr 1, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, but with the UFC’s more restrictive contracts as opposed to what some major players in professional sports have to deal with at times, it could become a huge concern. It could become an especially touchy subject if the overall growth of the sport begins to allow other organizations in the long-run to also become highly successful and the UFC’s clauses limit those fighters with the perpetuity clauses and drastically over-the-top non-compete clauses to “sit the bench” for a year in order to sign with another organization.
Of course, those are “What If” scenario as we don’t know what the climate will be in the 5 to 10 years. I’m assuming Zuffa will be the giant and other organizations will still be far behind, but we don’t know.
Furthermore, the NBA has a player’s union. They have representation, abilities to stop poor practices during contract negotiations, etc. UFC fighters don’t have that luxury or backing, and currently… they don’t have top notch representation that is heavily involved in contract law and knows the ins and outs to battling it out in court with a large organization over said contracts. If I was a fighter and didn’t have a whole lot of dough to throw around, it’d be pointless to try to do so. But… with guys like GSP getting sponsorship deals such as Gatorade and the possibility of more to come in the next 5 to 10 years, the money is there for fighters and the money that agents will likely want to get a piece of could get them involved.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Apr 1, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Surely where there is money, you will find agents scampering around. This is a given. The more important point, in the context of Loretta’s article, is how important a manager’s ability to hang out backstage on fight night will be in the overall scheme of things. Is this really what you see as a key component in a UFC fighter’s ability to secure a bigger piece of the pie?
by Jonathan Snowden on Apr 1, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A more influencial agent/manager wouldn’t have to be in the locker room worrying if their fighter was cutting deals on their own. People like to focus on Zuffa being the bad guy (and to be fair there is an arguement to be had there) but this is more of a sub-par agent/management issue than a Zuffa is evil greedy bastards issue.
by who me on Apr 1, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A few things that jump out at me:
1. I’ve heard second-hand from a credentialed reporter that the backstage scene is out of control, and it’s nearly impossible to get work done in the press room after the card. “A total f-ing zoo” is how one put it.
2. I mean, really, at this point, if Iole is considered Dana’s mouthpiece, then it’s time to acknowledge Loretta Hunt is his opposite — the reporter with an ax to grind against UFC who will run anything anti-UFC without substantiation. This piece is a poorly researched opinion rant disguised as news that doesn’t even attempt to look at the other side of the issue.
3. Agents and personal managers don’t have locker room access on game day in the major sports. Players team personnel only; with media allowed in at their appointed times.
by andherewego on Apr 1, 2009 12:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
“1. I’ve heard second-hand from a credentialed reporter that the backstage scene is out of control, and it’s nearly impossible to get work done in the press room after the card. "A total f-ing zoo" is how one put it.”
This is very true in Vegas. Just an incredible clusterfuck. It wasn’t as bad in Chicago or Atlanta.
by Jonathan Snowden on Apr 1, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Is there some reason that I don’t understand here why agents/managers can’t just tell their fighters to not do contract related business in the locker room as opposed to having to be there in person to babysit them? I mean if your supposed to be a manager and you can’t even trust a client to not completly cut you out of a deal minutes before a fight then there is a bigger issue there than being allowed backstage before a fight.
by who me on Apr 1, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In major sports locker rooms you also don’t have sponsors running around trying to do deals and management trying to renegotiate contracts.
by FRANKIE on Apr 1, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Having spent significant time with an NBA player for a project once, the idea that people aren’t hustling them 24/7 is ludicrous. Of course people are asking them about business when their agents aren’t around. Either they trust their agents to conduct their business or they don’t. The same thing applies here. UFC fighters either feel confident they can make appropriate decisions on their own, or they will wait to consult an outside expert (i.e agent).
by Jonathan Snowden on Apr 1, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right, because everyone who writes anything negative about the UFC is out to get them?
I’m sure there is never any truth behind any of it.[ /sarcasm]
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 1, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dana's response to Loretta Hunt:
by I Can't Feel My Face on Apr 1, 2009 4:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
At 4:30 he makes it clear that Loretta is not his favorite person in the world.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Apr 1, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That tirade, though not completely devoid of valid assertions, is perhaps the least professional things I’ve ever seen from Dana. I’m not saying it’s good or bad, but I’m fucking flabbergasted.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Apr 1, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not surprised and expected if you ask me.
Oh, and it is bad,
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 1, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well someone censored him cause the video is gone now.
I didn’t watch it, but other than Kevin Iole is there a MMA reporter that Dana likes and hasn’t talked serious smack about?
by natyong on Apr 2, 2009 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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