In a historic move, the first union for MMA fighters has been announced in the form of the Professional Fighters Association. Several fighters, including Mark Hunt and Jose Aldo, have vocally supported the idea of a union in the past. While no fighters have yet thrown their support behind the PFA, the union is now becoming a reality.
The press release announcing the union is below. The website for the union is profighters.org.
The Professional Fighters Association (PFA) has been established today to represent the collective interests of the fighters employed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It is the goal of the PFA to organize these hard-working athletes so that they may collectively bargain their terms and conditions of employment pursuant to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The PFA will not only be a union of fighters, but it will be governed solely by fighters. It is the fighters who will control their own futures.
The PFA has assembled a team of professionals to assist the fighters in this historic quest to take control of their careers and their future. The team includes long-time sports agent Jeff Borris, labor attorney Lucas Middlebrook, economist Andrew Zimbalist and an array of experienced support staff.
The major sports players’ unions, including the MLBPA, NFLPA, NHLPA, and the MLSPU, have provided PFA with their support of the UFC fighters’ quest to organize and collectively bargain their terms and conditions of employment.
The scales have been tipped in favor of the UFC for too long. It is time for the fighters --- the one’s responsible for the UFC’s success -- to receive their equal share.
Jeff Borris, the long-time baseball agent whose clients have included Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson and Curt Schilling, is spear-heading the effort.
In the past, the UFC has encouraged fighters to not unionize. Union heads from sports like the NFL, MLB and NHL have backed the PFA's efforts.
"As a strong labor Union, the NFL Players Association recognizes the need for a collective voice among athletes and supports the efforts of the UFC fighters to stand together as a team to advance their rights as working men and women," NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith said.
One of the biggest pushes for the PFA will likely be the revenue split. Right now, the fighters get only 15 percent of the revenue, while in sports like the NBA, the split is 50-50. The UFC has yet to respond to the formation of the PFA.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
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