Think Bisping will win but a shit performance by him. Him beating Rockhold like that will go down as almost Serra/GSP level.
Conor got fined $150K for the water bottle throwing incident. As a result he says he's not going to fight in Vegas again and I can't blame him. I'm sure the casinos will soon be calling the NSAC to reduce the fine.
seems excessive. You could take a shit on a sidewalk and only get fined a few hundred bucks. Or, take a shit in someone's yard for free if you're chinese. sneaky bastards.
Actually had someone seriously tell me that Conor not fighting in Vegas anymore would devastate the city. I just had to give him the "are you fucking serious?" look.
Quinn is the lawyer behind McNeil v NFL that led to the birth of NFL free agency as we know it today. Quinn also has a long list of cases in this area. If Quinn taking on GSP as a client, given his expertise and trial history, the UFC should be scared to death at what is about to be unleashed if this is really challenged.
I don't see how they can compare UFC to other leagues. Fighters have a choice of who they sign with. They aren't forced to sign with UFC. Signing with UFC is no different than signing a non-compete with any other company. The NFL/MLB/NBA is a completely different set up. It's a bunch of smaller companies under one umbrella. UFC isn't that. If UFC forced fighters to fight out of certain camps, it'd be a similar scenario. They don't though. Fighters are free to fight with any camp and then can fight for any promotion they want. It's not unreasonable for UFC to ask for non-compete clauses when they are pumping out tons of money to promote their fighters. It's no different than a mortgage company forcing employees to sign a non-compete before they spend thousands on licensing for the employee.
I heard Quinn interviewed on Sirius Radio yesterday, caught only part of the interview as I was driving. He basically says GSP has been asking for a fight for a while, UFC wouldn't offer him one and that is what he believes allowed them to get out of the contract. The radio host asked him if he thinks this a loophole other fighters could use to get out of their contracts and without saying as much, he basically said no unless the UFC refuses to schedule them a fight like they did with GSP
The case against UFC is that they keep buying up the competition. They bought Pride, they bought WEC, outside of Bellator they essentially have a monopoly. As it stands currently, the UFC could sign a fighter to a contract and then never give him a fight just because they don't want him to fight elsewhere. What if McGregor had 1 fight left on his contract and UFC wouldn't schedule him a fight or let him out of a contract because he said he was going to go be the biggest star at a new promotion?
I can't imagine UFC not offering GSP a fight. His comeback would probably do close to 1 million buys. Lawler has called out GSP for a fight. Unionization will be coming in the next couple years though.
Gotcha. Are UFC contracts just for a # of fights with no timeframe attached? If so, I can see that being changed. Maybe have an injury clause where it's extended if a fighter can't fight due to injury or something.
There are multiple avenues that the UFC can be attacked. The independent contractor status, even though they are not allowed work outside of UFC fights. Sponsorships. The fighters, and even their corners, are dictated the amount of money they can make from sponsors, even when they are classified as independent contractors and not employees of the UFC. The corner men especially are not employees of the UFC. I've read in the past that the contract confidentiality could face a serious challenge under NLRA. The Champions Clause could be a 13th amendment violation. One of the largest sticking points I've heard GSP mention is the sponsorships, and how much money he would be losing now. GSP is still fighting under his old contract, which was done before the Reebok sponsorship agreement, where GSP was making a fortune by his numerous sponsorships. GSP wanted to renegotiate to recoup money he will now lose with the limited money he will now make by only Reebok.
Appreciate the info. I'm perfectly fine with them having the non-compete but some of the other stuff is a bit much.
Honestly reading between the lines I think GSP did not want to fight Lawler. First thing that leads me to believe that is Dana White has repeatedly said that GSP doesn't want to fight anymore. Which makes me think they offered him Lawler and he said no. In GSP Lawyer interview he said they gave UFC a timetable to offer a fight to GSP and that the UFC failed to offer them a legitimate fight and mentioned something about how an offer to fight someone who was hurt and couldn't compete didn't constitute an offer. Lawler was supposed to fight Cowboy at 205 but pulled out, so I think that is what GSP lawyer was referring to in offering a fight against someone who couldn't compete.
Cruz vs. Garbrandt apparently in the works for 207 too. I think Dillashaw deserves a rematch and while I like Garbrandt, guy hasn't fought anyone in the top 10 currently.
Probably a dumb question, but does Bellator have to follow any anti-doping policies? Bobby Lashley looks to be one juiced up fuck. He's 40 with veins running crazy across his chest and arms. He just beat up a short fat white guy.
MMA organizations just need to follow the minimum standards, which is testing days before and right after a fight. Pretty much only UFC can financially afford to do the frequency of testing with the USADA.
Recording it until the Georgia game ends. Then after we lose, I'll drink myself into a oblivion while watching the fights. I really like Dos Anjos v Ferguson. Best card we've had in some time IMO.