UFC changes fighter contracts to prevent lawsuitsÂ
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the UFC had made some major changes to fighter contracts in order to protect themselves from lawsuits.
Bloody Elbow was the first to report on the changes after they had obtained multiple different copies of the new fighter contracts. It was discovered that the promotion had made the addition of an arbitration agreement and class action waiver. Ultimately, this meant that if a fighter had any major issues with Dana White or the organization, instead of suing, their claim would instead go through arbitration.
As stated in the new fighter contract, it reads:
"Where parties hereto seek the resolution of any issues relating to or arising out of this Agreement, the Bout Agreement, and or any interaction or relationship between ZUFFA and Fighter, both expressly consent to arbitration, instead of court procedures, to resolve Covered Claims (as defined below.)
Whilst on the surface, the change may not seem as major as very few fighters have ever tried to sue the UFC, and arbitration can be seen as yet another advantage they would hold over their fighters.
Francis Ngannou explains part of his issue with the UFC contracts https://t.co/MBfr0R3HV0
If a fighter were to raise an issue, arbitration is a private matter and therefore provides no public records or information. MMA fans are often fiercely loyal to fighters who have been wronged, and the public being kept in the dark may be seen as yet another advantage for the MMA promotion.
Dana White believes UFC 284 is going to break Conor McGregor's PPV records
UFC 284 is set to be headlined by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who is taking on Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. The Australian is vying to become the fifth fighter to achieve double champ status and will do so in front of his home crowd in Perth, Australia, this weekend.
Islam Makhachev has spent much of the fight build-up complaining about Dana White and his lack of promotion for the card. In response, White revealed that they are on track to beating some major records.
According to White, the pre-purchases for UFC 284 are on course to break the records in Australia and New Zealand, which were held by Conor McGregor:
"I mean it's a monster fight and you know, just the gate alone out of there is going to be an MSG-type gate. And the pre-buys for pay-per-view... is beating all the fights of its type and it is probably going to break the record for pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand, the UFC you know, all [time] record, which was Conor and somebody, but it's looking like it's going to break that record."
Catch Dana White's comments here: