Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark believes UFC fighters must unionize to create positive change.
As a former NFL player, Clark enjoyed many benefits stemming from the NFL Players Association, such as a guaranteed revenue share to the athletes, comprehensive health insurance, and longterm retirement plans. UFC fighters receive none of the above and generally have little negotiating power or transparency, partly because the sport is so young comparatively.
The NFL Players Association has
existed for 70 years, whereas the first UFC event was only 33 years ago.
“I think you you need transparency, but we also have to remember how young mixed martial arts is compared to the NFL,” Clark told MMA Junkie Radio. “This has been an evolution in the NFL, and there’s still different CBA negotiations and bouts that they deal with, whether it’s strikes or lockouts and all of those things.”
Unfortunately, Clark sees real obstacles in fighter’s forming a union, as there have been multiple attempts over the years to create collection action amongst UFC fighters with little ultimate result. UFC and Dana White are staunchly anti-union, and fighters themselves are actively competing against one another and benefiting when the other man struggles. There are training camps, but there are no collective teams like in the NFL that hold greater power and solidarity.
“You know, you need to form a union, but in forming a union, who are you negotiating with?” Clark said. “So many of these organizations are run by small groups of people that make every single decision. And the difference is in football, the Dallas Cowboys are given every opportunity to win the Super Bowl as much as the Cincinnati Bengals are. That’s not what mixed martial arts is.
“Mixed martial arts is truly you eat what you kill. And so, until they could find a way to bridge the gap between sort of ownership and labor, I don’t think there will be a change. I don’t believe there will be transparency because it’s such a small group of individuals who are policed in no way that are making the decisions.”
Unless Jake Paul saves the day, it appears that fighters are stuck with their current limited benefits and revenue percentage. Hopefully, the massive influx of Paramount cash at least raises that bar through simple math, even if the overall negotiating power of the average UFC fighter has remained the same.
