MMA Q&A: What Is MMAAA?

The Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association has arrived. You’ve got questions. I’ve got answers. So, lets do this.

Please explain what the MMAA is.

It’s the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association.

Right. But, what is it?

It’s another attempt at a fighters union. Dan Plunkett let me know that there are two other fighters association’s out there. They must be working really well if a third one is needed.

Why will this one work?

It probably won’t. But it does have a major thing going for them: current fighters and one of the biggest stars in MMA history are part of the group. Tim Kennedy, Donald Cerrone, TJ Dillashaw, and Cain Velasquez are all current UFC fighters. They’re also all scheduled to fight before the end of the year. Then there’s Georges St. Pierre. Prior to Conor McGregor, he was the biggest star the sport had ever seen and he’s arguably the greatest fighter of all-time.

The other associations failed because they recruited guys like Nate Quarry and Jon Fitch. The MMAAA already has a leg up just by having current and relevant fighters on the board.

So, why won’t it work?

Because fighters are dumb. The reason why they need a fighters association is because they’ve been willingly fighting for pennies for years. Fighters have been underpaid since the start, but they are just now doing something about it, because they aren’t very bright. Even the one’s who seem smart, the guys who know they are getting screwed and are complaining about it, are really dumb because they keep fighting for the company who keeps screwing them over. Dana White has done nothing but bury his top fighters, negotiate deals that don’t favor the fighters, and made a bunch of empty promises. And yet, everyone continues to fight for him.

Plus, Tim Kennedy appears to be the leading fighter voice for MMAAA. The same guy who said you’re a pussy if you suffer from PTSD.

What about GSP?

He is their only hope. Well, him and Conor McGregor. But even GSP spent years fighting for the UFC and railing against drug testing. It wasn’t until he got out of the sport that anything got done when it came to drug testing.

So, what about Conor?

If they can get Conor on board, then they might be on to something. But Conor is actually smart. He’s the one guy who gets paid close to his worth and he’s the one guy who can actually hold the UFC up for more money. Do you think the UFC cares if Tim Kennedy or TJ Dillashaw misses an event or leaves for Bellator? They are good fighters, but they aren’t moving the needle. The UFC will find a dumber fighter to replace them, market him as a great and exciting fighter, and things will be fine. No one is going to miss Kennedy or Dillashaw.

Here’s another reason why fighters are dumb: they’ve seen what Conor has done, and yet none of them have been able to replicate it. And not everyone is as charismatic or as good as Conor, but that doesn’t mean that they should just accept what is given to them. They’ve seen the money that Conor is making, they know that it’s possible to make seven figures. They’ve seen the money that the UFC is making. And yet they’re still willing to fight for nothing.

If Conor joins the MMAAA, maybe things change. Maybe.

People don’t seem too happy about Bjorn Rebney’s involvement.

Probably because Bjorn has screwed a bunch of fighters out of money, so him talking about trying to get more money for fighters is pretty rich. And this, once again, highlights the flaw of the MMAAA. Fighters are dumb. They could have picked anyone to be the “manager” of the MMAAA. And they picked a guy who kills dogs.

What’s the deal with CAA?

CAA is a talent company that represents just about every fighter in the MMAAA. They are a rival to WME, the company that just purchased the UFC.

So, this is two talent companies battling over fighters?

Yes. Pretty much.

Is this really about the fighters?

Of course not.

What’s the best case scenario for MMAAA?

Conor joins them, the fighters get more money, the fighters get post-fight benefits.

What’s the worst case scenario?

We forget about them in a week.

For more on MMAAA, you can listen to Samer Kadi and I discuss the situation and make a bunch of jokes here.