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Sports agent Jeff Borris explains why he’s attempting to start a UFC fighters union
- Updated: August 16, 2016
Jeff Borris is the counsel for the Ballengee Group, the agency that represents Nate Diaz. The longtime baseball agent took a look at Diaz’s contract for the fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 196 in March and could not believe what he saw.
“They’re baffling when you read them,” Borris said of UFC contracts on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “It’s just preposterous the things that are in there that I don’t believe are legal, valid or enforceable. I even believe the UFC knows that.”
Soon after, Borris said he and Diaz’s agent Lloyd Pierson met with UFC president Dana White and other UFC execs. Borris said he asked White why fighters have yet to unionize and White “kind of scoffed at the idea.”
“I walked out of the meeting and I turned to Lloyd and I told him, ‘I’m gonna unionize these guys,'” Borris said.
A few months later and that’s exactly what Borris is attempting to do. The former agent for the likes of baseball stars Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco is putting forth an effort to get fighters to unionize through a new organization called the Professional Fighters Association (PFA). Borris, who describes himself as a longtime fight fan, feels like fighters are currently competing on an unfair playing field.
Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta sold the UFC to Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG last month for $4 billion. Multiple groups have come forward attempting to unionize fighters, including the PFA. The MMA Fighters Association (MMAFA), which is currently focused on bringing boxing’s Ali Act to MMA, has been in existence for the last eight years.
Borris, whose life as an agent inspired the HBO show “Arliss,” said his group has the backing of all the other major sports players unions, including the MLPBA and NFLPA. There are quotes from the heads of those organizations on the PFA website.
“This just can’t happen,” Borris said of current fighter conditions. “With the sale also. It indicates that the UFC is really the premier league. When you look at Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, National Hockey League, it’s right up there with them now. And these fighters need representation. Their rights right now are being trampled upon and it’s probably worse than ever. The UFC is profiting, which is OK. They’re running a successful business, they’re entitled to it. But the fighters, they’re the show. They’re the ones that drive that business and they’re entitled to be …
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