Randy Couture says he is surprised Jake Paul is leading the charge on fighter pay reform in MMA, and he thinks Conor McGregor should have done more.
Paul has been banging on the drum to get UFC fighters (and MMA fighters in general) paid more money, especially as he continues to roll in huge paydays in boxing. During a recent press conference, Paul went on an expletive-filled rant and said that UFC president Dana White should be paying his fighters more money, and saying âf*ck Dana White.â
âIf it takes Jake Paul to run his mouth and get that done, then great. As long as it gets done. It just seems kind of crazy to me that itâs coming from there and we as athletes in mixed martial arts canât come together and canât hold these promoters to a higher standard and create the transparency that we need in the sport.â
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, better known as the Ali Act, was enacted in 2000 to protect the rights and welfare of boxers, aid state boxing commissions with the oversight of boxing and âincrease sportsmanship and integrity within the boxing industry.â
Of course there have been plenty of criticisms about the Ali Act when it comes to actual enforcement of the rules as well as promoters being held to certain standards in the sport but the law itself exists, which has fighters like Couture trying to get those same protections extended to MMA.
Couture believes one particular UFC superstar had a chance to show the differences in the rules governing boxing and MMA just a few years ago but failed to do so.
âThe guy that really had a chance to shine a light on it was Conor McGregor,â Couture explained. âHe got a boxing license. As soon as he got a boxing license, he rendered his UFC contract null and void. He had the protections of the Muhammad Ali Act when he became an official boxer with that boxing number and he chose to bring Dana White and company back into that fight when he could have done all that on his own, kept all that money to himself and shined a light on the problem in mixed martial arts.
âHe chose not to do that. He made $100 million off that fight with Floyd Mayweather. Thatâs more than heâll probably ever in mixed martial arts to be truthful.â
theres one thing about handy i cant forget
but iâd like to
I cant believe how many of you chose to hit that play button.
Yeah, Conor is a scumbag
ttt
Itâs no secret that UFC fighters get short-changed when it comes to their dealings with the biggest MMA promotion on the planet. The low revenue share, lack of collective bargaining and overreaching contracts that UFC fighters have to contend with are unlike anything professional athletes experience in other top sports.
Recently Randy Couture, who has long advocated for fighter rights, specifically in the form of expanding the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to include MMA, recently spoke at length with MMA Fighting about the current state of MMA.
With that outlet the former UFC heavyweight champion touched on Jake Paul, of all people, and commented on how the âProblem Childâ was bringing some issues regarding fighter pay to the forefront.
Paul, a 3-0 boxer who is set to take on former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, has lambasted the UFC and Dana White for underpaying fighters.
âWhy is Jake Paul the one to step up and poke Dana and shine a light on whatâs going on and the difference between our sports?â Couture said. âWhat the Ali Act does for boxers that doesnât happen for the rest of us in combative sports. I think thatâs what needs to change.
âIf it takes Jake Paul to run his mouth and get that done, then great. As long as it gets done. It just seems kind of crazy to me that itâs coming from there and we as athletes in mixed martial arts canât come together and canât hold these promoters to a higher standard and create the transparency that we need in the sport.â
However, despite appreciating what Paul might be able to accomplish, Couture said there was another fighter who had the perfect opportunity to push for their own rights (and those of other MMA fighters), but whiffed at it.
âThe guy that really had a chance to shine a light on it was Conor McGregor. He got a boxing license. As soon as he got a boxing license, he rendered his UFC contract null and void. He had the protections of the Muhammad Ali Act when he became an official boxer with that boxing number and he chose to bring Dana White and company back into that fight when he could have done all that on his own, kept all that money to himself and shined a light on the problem in mixed martial arts.
âHe chose not to do that. He made $100 million off that fight with Floyd Mayweather. Thatâs more than heâll probably ever make in mixed martial arts to be truthful.â