“What the Fook is that clause?” – Amidst superstardom of Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and others, MMA lawyer reveals UFC can now own fighter’s catchphrases
UFC contract for fighters dictate that anything they invent during their time in the company will effectively become the property of the UFC.
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Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz (via Imago)
MMA lawyer Erik Magraken has taken over social media with his coverage of the UFC. His thought-provoking question about CTE to UFC executive Hunter Campbell captured fan attention. He also covered the possible Class Action Lawsuit against the UFC. Recently, he made groundbreaking claims about the UFC possibly owning fighter catchphrases. In its 30 years, fighters like Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and Israel Adesanya have delivered iconic catchphrases.
Magraken wrote, “What the Fook is that clause?”He started with the new clauses in the UFC fighter contracts and the possibility of the UFC taking away fighters’ catchphrases. He said that the UFC inserted a 360 clause in the contract. It states that while fighters are under UFC contracts, anything they invent becomes the property of the UFC. It includes catchphrases because they are a work product.
This might not sit well with the MMA community. Magraken perfectly explained the implication of such a clause. If a fighter invents a popular catchphrase, he can no longer make merchandise and profit from it. It will belong to the UFC, as they added a clause in the fighter contracts. The famous catchphrases of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz can belong solely to the UFC. Magraken may have become a thorn in the side of the UFC. Nevertheless, his work could help fighters out in the long run.
Fans on the internet have taken notice of the topic. Magraken also called out MMA managers for allowing such a clause in contracts. He also questioned why the managers did not express concern about such a clause. The sport of MMA should not exploit fighters, and people like Magraken are doing a fantastic job of putting exploiting practices to the forefront.
Related: UFC fighter pay comparisons to NBA or NFL is unfair, says Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin
Erik Magraken follows Sean O’Malley in exposing UFC managers
“Suga” Sean O’Malley made serious accusations against MMA managers before his title fight against Aljamain Sterling. O’Malley criticized MMA managers who took a 20 percent cut from their fighters. They also took the same from fighter bonuses.
Erik Magraken followed O’Malley into revealing a new development to the manager controversy. He wrote, “Athletes are asking Commissions to do more to regulate managers.” He also posted a screenshot of a proposal to regulate managers in combat sports. The proposal called for licensing managers in all jurisdictions and a hard cap on manager compensation.
The exploitative practices of the MMA managers must stop. According to the claims of Suga and Magraken, MMA managers have exploited fighters for a long time. Suga advocated for fighters to negotiate on their own rather than with managers.
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Nidhin Shibu
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