>> We won with poorly educated, I love the poorly educated.
>> From the 45th president, Donald Trump. >> If you're 25 and you're not a socialist,
you have no heart. And if you're 40 years old and you're not a conservative, you have
no brain. >> A bevy of UFC fighters.
>> You wanna hear from him, yeah. >> UFC Commissioner and Trump Bootlicker,
Dana White. >> He is a symptom of a disease that has been
building up in our communities for years and decades.
>> And the man gunning for White, Andrew Yang. >> Whatever your deal is, or whatever that,
you know I'm not a real political person.
>> I think Biden knows who Biden is. >> In this corner, a staunch supporter of
White supremacy. >> People can see through the bluster and
even a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump are tired of it.
>> And opposite him, a supporter of Universal Basic Income, and helping people.
>> In those particular positions, I just don't want a poor person. Does that make sense?
>> You see, they give up the game. >> This isn't a career. This is not a career,
this is an opportunity. >> When White says this, it sounds eerily
similar to. >> In order to preserve the character and
quality of the product, athletes must not be paid.
>> Here's the deal. They're getting access to one of the most valuable things on Earth,
a degree from an American university. >> The NCPAA, led by this man, Mark Emmert.
The fact is when he hears the words fighter pay, he simply wants to not have a discussion.
>> My history in labor unions and sports in particular.
>> This is former NFL PA Rep, and the youngest VP of the NFL PA Executive Committee, Dominique
Foxworth. >> There's a long history of issues with the
labor in UFC not feeling that they are getting just payment or the treatment that they deserve.
>> This is a point many of taken up when discussing the UFC.
Via an antitrust lawsuit provided through discovery, the UFC pays fighters anywhere
from 10% to 18% of the sport's total revenue. For reference, the NBA pays its players about
50% of League revenue. In the NFL, players received 47 to a little over 48% year over
year. Major League Baseball's executive director of the Players Association said it's close
to 50%.
And the WNBA a 50-50 split is achievable if the League hits its target revenue goals.
High profile UFC fighters have asked the UFC to release them from their contracts due to
negotiation issues. They include Jorge Masvidal and John Jones. Past champs Demetrious, Mighty
Mouse Johnson and Rory MacDonald left the UFC.
>> We all know that right now most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
>> That's where this guy comes in. Yang believes he could get the Mohammed Ali Boxing Reform
Act, which establishes federal protections for boxers extended to MMA within the next
two years. All MMA promotions would be affected by the new regulations, but none so much as
the UFC, which enjoys a global lion share of the sports overall profits.
The Ali Act affords boxers certain rights, other combat sports athletes lack. One of
these is access to financial information related to his or her bout. under the Ali Act boxing
promoters are required to disclose the amounts of any compensation a promoter stands to receive
from a fight. Such is not the case in MMA.
It's all contingent on this man. Joe Biden taking the White House. This is where Yang
would come and play and push the UFC to pay its fighters more. Currently MMA fighters
are widely signed to multi-fight contracts with lengthy duration terms. If a fighter
is injured or turned down a bout for another reason, their contract freezes until they
become active again.
The UFC also has a Liberal ability to cut a fighter at anytime. The Ali Act would fundamentally
change the UFC's business model, wrote Erik Magraken, a managing partner of the British
Columbia litigation firm MacIsaac & Company. The UFC has such market prominence that they
can treat their fighters, even stars as replaceable cogs in the machine, he said.
Every prominent fighter would force the books to be open. Many fighters would take a stand.
If you'd like to hear more thought provoking content, like TYT Sports on Facebook. And
to help in my journey to keep media independent, go to TYT.COM/RICK.