The UFC is going through a series of legal battles at the moment and one of the hot topic issues coming from the legal proceedings is to whether or not fighter pay should be revealed to the general public.
Ali Abdelaziz is an agent for a plethora of MMA fighters and he has decided to speak out on the matter, siding with the UFC in keeping fighter pay private.
However, it appears that Abdelaziz has some odds reasons from speaking out against it, including that fighters could be at risk for kidnapping and extortion schemes, safety concerns for fighters and their family, plus a host of other things.
All of Abdelaziz’s claims can be read by clicking here.
Paul Gift of Bloody Elbow acquired the document in which Aziz makes these claims, a portion of that document can be read below:
“The terms of fighters’ contracts are typically subject to a confidentiality provision. For many of the fighters I represent, the confidentiality of these terms is very important. Many fighters do not want the terms of their contracts — including compensation and benefits — to be publicly disclosed.
“For some fighters, public disclosure of such information raises legitimate safety concerns for them and their families, including making them targets of kidnapping and extortion schemes. In addition to safety concerns, some of the fighters I represent have communicated to me the desire to keep their compensation, benefits, and obligations under the contract confidential for privacy and other reasons, including to avoid requests for money from friends and family.
“Public disclosure of the terms and compensation of fighters’ agreements may also hinder me in obtaining the best possible deal for a fighter and give a strategic advantage to MMA Promoters in negotiations with fighters, which may ultimately work to the detriment of the fighter.”
Fighter payouts are revealed by the various athletic commissions after each UFC event, but other payments such as bonuses or other contractual obligations/criteria hasn’t been released to the general public.
