Our first Q & A was a hit—at least in our eyes. Not only did we get fantastic submissions, we can tell you guys and gals are paying attention and absorbing the information we provide. Your questions were outstanding and we hope to do these more often.
Most accounts that submitted questions didn’t mind us using their social media handle to credit them, but a few preferred to remain anonymous. If you didn’t state the condition of anonymity, we cited you. Once again, thank you all so much for listening, subscribing and participating.
Now, without any further ado, here’s the outline to follow along with as you listen:
Ep. 113 Outline
What are your thoughts on Don Davis making the worst possible decisions for his promotion?
Hiding the that girl who fell into coma after a weight cut
Not honoring fighters contracts from Bellator like Patricio Pitbull, Gegard Mousassi, and Patchy mix (Phantom Punch @9h6st21.bsky.social)
With the upcoming end of the UFC/ESPN broadcast deal, and a greater emphasis on extracting site fees for traveling around, why does the UFC seem so stubbornly committed to having all these goddamn apex cards? (Nick Wilson @krazykudu.bsky.social)
Is a PFL/UFC cross-promotional title unification bout possible between Jones and Ngannou if the Saudis or that Turki dude get involved in it with a LOT of cash? (Sam @ssb3037.bsky.social)
How much, if at all, do you think the antitrust suit has made people more aware/interested in fighter-pay discussions? Curious if you two have seen any sort of changes in fan behavior around it, or none. (@JackWannan on X)
Is it possible the UFC could be sold to the Saudi/Turki Alalsheikh group? Where not only would they have control over boxing but the largest pie of MMA. How likely could this happen and if it did what do you think would change? (anonymously submitted)
Why are so many people afraid to name Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro as the key leaders of UFC decisions rather than Dana White? (anonymously submitted)
Why are so many people treating government control of fight sports as taboo? (e.g. Abu Dhabi has as much if not more control than KSA) (anonymously submitted)
The UFC is now the world's biggest sport without an antitrust exemption and complete and total protection legally, financially, and politically with the US government. What will it take to pierce that bubble? (anonymously submitted)
Will Trump's new labor secretary, backed by Sean O'Brien, have any impact at all on the independent contractor classification? Will there be an Endeavor/TKO carve-out? (last 4 questions were submitted anonymously by the same person) (anonymously submitted)
The first antitrust case was Cung Le v. Zuffa. Is the second antitrust case named-Defendant still the same (Zuffa) or did it change since the UFC was sold in 2016 to Endeavor and this case is from 2017-present? (anonymously submitted) (anonymously submitted)
What do y’all think it will take to make the UFC machine crumble since the class action suits didn’t really lead to a break up? (@Lord0fValinor on X)
Why has there not been a HW boxing champion that has been on the megastar level post Mike Tyson and do you think that may be a big reason the business of boxing has fallen behind quite a few other sports since then? Before Mike Tyson, there were Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, John L Sullivan who were HW champs that were all pretty much not only the biggest athlete but biggest star of their era. (@mindofb1 on X)
I see 2 extremes with the Johnson case. I see a huge loss for the UFC where the business gets upended and they lose a lot of their market share. Then I see the other extreme where absolutely nothing happens. I don’t think either of these extremes happen. I don’t think the UFC gets away completely unscathed. My question is what is a realistic and most likely middle ground outcome for the Johnson fighters and the MMA market as a whole? (@Amazin28166437 on X)
To what do you attribute the UFC's turn to blatant conservatism? Is it a business strategy to align with a particular customer base? Is it a by-product of DW's personal views writ large across the company? Or is it something else, like a long play to get Chimaev back in the USA? (@stefansommer.bsky.social)
Endeavor and the Saudis are owning nearly everything, and now it looks like Endeavor is going hard into the grappling space. Can you guys give me any reasons to be positive about combat sports going forward other than a good fight here and there (and still with the fighters getting screwed over, pay-wise)? (Pricesters @ptros.bsky.social)
If I’m a BJJ black belt, should I be excited about the UFC signing BJJ athletes to exclusive contracts? (anonymously submitted)
Harking back to your history of pro wrestling episodes, if WWE admits that the fights are fake and scripted could pro wrestlers be considered actors and be able to join SAG? (Finley, Substack comments)
Could the broadcasters that are bidding on UFC content pressure the UFC into a ranking system that is completely separate from the UFC? This way there is a third party ranking the fighters that are on and particularly headlining the fight cards. (Finley, Substack comments)
How well is RIZIN doing these days? Their New Year’s Eve shows look packed every year! What’s their strategy for growth beyond the freak-show fights with washed boxers? (martinscores75ppg.bsky.social)
How much time does ONE’s new cash infusion buy them? Any ideas why someone continues to give them money? I heard that they’re getting stock at a discounted price, but surely that stock is worthless, right? (Indorfin.bsky.social)
If my “manager” is asking for 10% of my settlement award in the Le class, did they do anything at all to deserve that? (anonymously submitted)
Why are so many fighters thanking Hunter Campbell? Are they being told to do so by Dana or their managers? (anonymously submitted)
ATTN: UFC Fighters (current & past)
*Please note that we’ll be updating the pertinent information for current and former UFC fighters on what’s happening with the antitrust case for the foreseeable future. We will also continue leaving the information links, numbers and emails here in case anyone wants to use it on their own for updates.
For additional information, including any updates relating to any settlement or the settlement approval process, visit:
https://www.ufcclassaction.com/
Toll-free number: 1-866-955-5564
You may also write to the Class Action Administrator by mail:
UFC Fighter Class Action
c/o Class Action Administrator
1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103
or email:
info@UFCFighterClassAction.com
The Hey Not the Face! Podcast is an independent publication. Please consider a paid subscription to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support us. With all forms of news media crumbling, especially in the combat sports space, we could really use your help. Thank you. We appreciate all of you.
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