As of November 30th, 2016, we now have the MMA Athletes Association. This was the big announcement teased since Monday, and following a two-hour (!) conference call, it’s now official. UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy provided the opening statement, which you can listen to in the clip below.
Tim Kennedy officially announces the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association @BloodyElbowpic.twitter.com/CoAr28CORX
— Michael Hutchinson (@TheMikeyHutch) November 30, 2016
The five fighters who will serve as the board members for the MMAAA are Kennedy, Georges St-Pierre, T.J. Dillashaw, Cain Velasquez, and Donald Cerrone. If you’re wondering what former Bellator MMA owner Bjorn Rebney’s role is in all of this, Kennedy said that he will be in an advisory position.
While there will be more announcements ahead, today’s call made it clear that the association has its eyes strictly set on the UFC, and no other promotion. Rebney said that reaching out to the UFC is not in their plans, and he also ripped into the promotion heavily, calling them an “egregious, predatory monopoly” when fielding questions from the media. One of the goals he had was for the fighter revenue share to be split 50-50 with the UFC (as opposed to the 8% figure he and St-Pierre stated). Here are some of the other highlights, as tweeted out by Michael Hutchinson on the Bloody Elbow Twitter account.
Bjorn: When the group that makes money hand over fist and the athletes responsible are asked to put their lives on the line…
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
… and they get paid pennies. Calls the UFC’s business plan outrageous.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
Bjorn: This is my focus. We’ve been working on this for the past 2 years.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
Cerrone says that this is a big risk and he has no fucking idea what’s going to happen, but will run until the wheels fall off.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
GSP to fighters: I know you might be afraid, but it’s like a fight. You shouldn’t be afraid. TJ adds that it’s like pre-fight jitters
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
GSP: For Conor McGregor, I can not speak for him, but from what he says in interviews, he’s aware of what’s going on
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
GSP: My lawyer told me I’m a free agent. But there are two sides of the situation. That’s all I can say.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
Tim Kennedy to Ian McCall: We aren’t recruiting. We’re just asking, do you want change? You now have power.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
Cain Velasquez talks about all of his major surgeries and how other fighters have to go through the same, with no retirement health plan
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 30, 2016
You can listen to the conference call audio in two parts. Part 1 is at the top of the page, while part 2 can be played below. There will be transcribed articles from the audio that will be published on Bloody Elbow throughout the week.
