MMA Needs to Learn from Fitch, Couture Sagas
Published by Dave Sholler on November 24th, 2008 in Current Events

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The UFC-American Kickboxing Academy saga that unfolded this week was a bit predictable. In a sport that now generates millions of dollars in revenue, it can only be expected that athletes and the organizations they compete for would disagree on financial terms. It is only natural for a numbers squabble to occur, especially when everyone wants a piece of the rotund MMA pie. When the pie contains chunks upon chunks of delicious coin, it can be expected that money will become the ultimate source of contention.

For the California-based AKA camp, a stable of promising fighters including welterweights Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck and heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez, the problem arose when UFC officials requested that they sign lifetime deals that permit the organization to use their likenesses in video game deals and other content. Fighters like Fitch complained via their agents that there was no compensation for agreeing to such terms. They argued that their families would reap little financial rewards for such contractual deals.

After a series of heated exchanges in the media between Fitch and UFC boss Dana White, cooler heads eventually prevailed. The University of Purdue graduate ultimately signed the deal after speaking to UFC management and the issue proved to be much ado about nothing.

But was it really nothing? Are there actually deeper rooted issues that will eventually be exposed? Is the organization-athlete relationship headed down an ugly path?

Conventional wisdom would argue that things are about to get sticky. Look no further than Randy Couture’s recent contractual turmoil as proof. On top of seeking better compensation, the then-heavyweight champion wanted the UFC to chase an impossible opponent (sorry, Fedor) and ink a fighter barely know by mainstream America to a huge contract. In the end, Randy eventually returned to the Octagon without accomplishing much, other than letting himself getting older and rusty. There was no pay increase or Fedor bout. Truth be told, the only thing uncovered by the Couture-UFC fight was a nasty, public battle over money, power, and respect. The same can now be said of the AKA-UFC public skirmish.

Keeping Couture and AKA in mind, MMA executives, agents, and business managers must decide how they can avoid pitfalls experienced in other professional sports. All involved in the greatest sport on canvas must figure out ways to avoid Terrell Owens-ish holdouts, Scott Boras-like contract gougings, and unfair exclusivity deals.

Mixed martial artists, agents, and respective promoters/organizations alike must work together in a manner in which equitable contracts can be negotiated. While MMA is hot right now, it does not have the longevity and level of success as the NFL, MLB, or NBA. Economic mistakes made now can certainly harm the sport later. Thus, a model for long-term stability between fighters and organizations must be established.

There’s no doubt that the money is flowing in MMA. But White and others have to develop methods for ensuring long-term fiscal success. And that means finding a balance between issuing what they consider to be fair contracts, all while meeting the needs of fighters. The need to develop a bargaining approach that minimizes emotions and maximizes a tried and true pay scale wouldn’t hurt either. After all, no one wants to become EliteXC, right?

We should not be naïve to the fact that contract disputes will continue to occur. Young, educated men like Fitch will always do their best to leverage for more incentives. Considering the small window of opportunity to make money in professional sports, no one can blame them either. Still, promoters and organizations need to understand that fighters are simply trying to establish their worth. Some will try to foolishly break the bank. Most, however, are just trying to secure a fair, financial comfort zone.

In the end, let’s be glad that the Couture and Fitch stories ended somewhat peacefully. If similar treaties aren’t reached in the future, the purity of the MMA fight game could be jeopardized. Simply put, everyone involved needs to learn how to share the wealth. A mixed martial arts cage is one of the finest spectrums in all of professional sports. However, its beauty won’t remain if there are no athletes to grace it or fans to surround it.