UFC lightweight fired after refusing to fight Injured!

[Hannya MMA]

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will only allow super popular fighters (like this guy) to withdraw from their mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts. The rest of the roster will be forced to fight — injured, if need be — come hell or high water.

That’s according to former UFC lightweight Mehdi Baghdad, who was forced to cancel his Jon Tuck showdown at the ill-fated UFC Fight Night 97 combat sports spectacle slated for UFC Fight Pass in Manila.

The result was his unconditional release.

“I was in emergency the night before I gave the bad news that I had to pull out,” Baghdad told The MMA Circus (via Bloody Elbow). “I called my manager, my manager called Joe Silva. And Joe Silva just answered back like, ‘You need to pull out? We cut you.’ And my manager said, ‘Come on, man, you can’t do that! The doctor said that he has to do surgery; he can’t fight. And then he force himself to fight? He can't! He has to do surgery.' So my manager let me know. 'They need you to go fight, or you are fired.’”

Baghdad opted for surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.

The punchline? The promotion was forced to cancel the event altogether when its headliner, former two-time champion BJ Penn, injured his rib and was forced to withdraw.

 

[chitoortiz]

Search function please.

Many threads on this aleady.

 

[The Sausage King]

 

[soulsstealer]

I thought the like this guy would be jose aldo.

 

[Bewareofdawg]

I've never seen so many people complain about their jobs as much as UFC Fighters do, and even worse, their fans do. The sense of entitlement is out of control. The UFC is a private company. If fighters don't like the treatment or compensation, they don't have to work there. Simple as that.

 

[DannyNL]

Not surprising. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head but I know for sure I've heard of guys getting cut after dropping out of a fight with an injury. Not immediately after, and these guys were coming off losses, but I remember seeing names reported on cut lists over the years and thinking "wait a minute... wasn't that guy booked for a fight a few months ago and had to drop out to injury?"

That's some real scumbag shit. As a huge MMA fan I'm constantly embarrassed at how the athletes are treated in this sport.

 

[screaminleeman]

I had to google this fighter.

It may have been the final straw however here IMO.

1. For cripes sake, the guy is 0 - 2 in the UFC, and finished by an unranked LW in one of his two UFC fights!!
2. The guys pre UFC record is just horrendous level of competition. One fighter I recognize in his pre UFC MMA career was a FUCKING zero second KO to Charles "The SA Cowboy" Oliviera. ZERO seconds? The fast KO in MMA history? WTF, Even Bob Sapp was unable to match that feat. BAHAHAH. Cut him? FUCK YES!
3. God Damn, this Mother Fugger has a fighter on his pre UFC record named "UNKNOWN". Fake padded record?

Who gives a rats rectum. The UFC needs to either FIRE 70% of thie main roster and get the 620+ fighters down to ~ 200, OR build a minor league system and take these 70% of the current UFC roster not ranked within the top 30 of the WC and transfer them to the minor leagues.

Either way Bagdad does not belong competing inside of the UFC Octagon.

I think we should focus more on this prospect named "UNKNOWN"!

Rant over.

 

[SavageAngel]

I've never seen so many people complain about their jobs as much as UFC Fighters do, and even worse, their fans do. The sense of entitlement is out of control. The UFC is a private company. If fighters don't like the treatment or compensation, they don't have to work there. Simple as that.

So you are complaining about the complaining of fighters and fans. The sense of entitlement is out of control with these UFC shills.

 

[Thc Sargon]

I've never seen so many people complain about their jobs as much as UFC Fighters do, and even worse, their fans do. The sense of entitlement is out of control. The UFC is a private company. If fighters don't like the treatment or compensation, they don't have to work there. Simple as that.

They have a monopoly, which in the US as traditionally broken up monopolies.

 

[CTYankee]

Great movie!
(I'm old)

 

[Bewareofdawg]

So you are complaining about the complaining of fighters and fans. The sense of entitlement is out of control with these UFC shills.

I'm not complaining about it, I'm making statement from what i see. If I say it's raining outside, it doesn't mean i'm complaining about the rain.

And you calling me a "UFC Shill" makes me think that you feel there are 2 sides to this make believe war and all fans have to take a side with the fighters or the UFC. I don't think like that. I don't care what the fighters get paid. I have my own problems, and have to worry about my life. You seem to be the one that is taking everything too serious.

 

[Ryan G]

I've never seen so many people complain about their jobs as much as UFC Fighters do, and even worse, their fans do. The sense of entitlement is out of control. The UFC is a private company. If fighters don't like the treatment or compensation, they don't have to work there. Simple as that.

They're not working at a fast food restaurant. To make money in this sport, there are very few organizations that you can fight for. UFC is the biggest. They really don't have the option to just go elsewhere. Bellator is pretty much the only other viable option (maybe One FC), and I would hazard a guess that only the very top guys there are making real money.

That said, Baghdad barely beat Lobov and lost to Erosa in TUF, and is 0-2 in the UFC. He doesn't have much room to complain. He was getting a gift with a 3rd UFC fight.

 

[Bewareofdawg]

They have a monopoly, which in the US as traditionally broken up monopolies.

No they don't have a monopoly. Not even close. Not even sure why you would say that, like I'm just going to go along with it.

 

[Thc Sargon]

No they don't have a monopoly. Not even close. Not even sure why you would say that, like I'm just going to go along with it.

They are being sued for it, they can affect the fighters market status (pay). Which a court might constitute a monopoly.

 

[Bewareofdawg]

They're not working at a fast food restaurant. To make money in this sport, there are very few organizations that you can fight for. UFC is the biggest. They really don't have the option to just go elsewhere. Bellator is pretty much the only other viable option (maybe One FC), and I would hazard a guess that only the very top guys there are making real money.

That said, Baghdad barely beat Lobov and lost to Erosa in TUF, and is 0-2 in the UFC. He doesn't have much room to complain. He was getting a gift with a 3rd UFC fight.

They don't HAVE TO be an MMA Fighter for a living. People chase their dreams, it doesn't always work out. Then they have to do something else. Not cry about someone not giving them a handout.

Al Iaquinta is the perfect example. MMA wasn't working out for him. So he decided to switch professions. Understand?

 

[Paul Harvey]

I've never seen so many people complain about their jobs as much as UFC Fighters do, and even worse, their fans do. The sense of entitlement is out of control. The UFC is a private company. If fighters don't like the treatment or compensation, they don't have to work there. Simple as that.

Sense of entitlement? Are you retarded? Do you get fired if you get a workplace injury and then say you can't work because you need surgery? Of course not. That has to be, hands down, the most idiotic statement I've ever seen on here.

 

[Paul Harvey]

I've never seen so many people complain about their jobs as much as UFC Fighters do, and even worse, their fans do. The sense of entitlement is out of control. The UFC is a private company. If fighters don't like the treatment or compensation, they don't have to work there. Simple as that.

I love how idiots bitch about fighters complaining about their pay. If you're a fan of MMA, that's completely idiotic. I'm a fan of the sport. I want to watch the best athletes fight. You don't get the best athletes when the compensation doesn't even cover your training expenses and you're prevented from getting outside sponsors.

Now, it's a great system if you want to see second rate athletes fight, but no so great if you're a true fan of the sport.

 

[Air Lats]

Sense of entitlement? Are you retarded? Do you get fired if you get a workplace injury and then say you can't work because you need surgery? Of course not. That has to be, hands down, the most idiotic statement I've ever seen on here.

That's only for employees.

Fighters are Independent Contractors.

US contract law explicitly states that Independent Contractors can be shackled, beaten and/or waterboarded. If, ten days after being tortured, they cannot perform their jobs they may be fired and/or genitally mutilated.

 

[Bewareofdawg]

Sense of entitlement? Are you retarded? Do you get fired if you get a workplace injury and then say you can't work because you need surgery? Of course not. That has to be, hands down, the most idiotic statement I've ever seen on here.

Idiotic? Have you read the contract that he signed with the UFC? How about you get all the facts before you start calling other people idiots. IF they were legally within their right to fire him, and did, then who gives a shit. It's business. I'm glad these fighters have all of you internet attorneys fighting for them though.

 

[Bewareofdawg]

I love how idiots bitch about fighters complaining about their pay. If you're a fan of MMA, that's completely idiotic. I'm a fan of the sport. I want to watch the best athletes fight. You don't get the best athletes when the compensation doesn't even cover your training expenses and you're prevented from getting outside sponsors.

Now, it's a great system if you want to see second rate athletes fight, but no so great if you're a true fan of the sport.

Here we go with the "idiot" line again. How was I "bitching" about anything. I made a statement that fighters and their fans complain more about fighter pay than any other person or group of people I've ever seen in my life.

And to your brilliant point that I bolded and enlarged up there. YES they do apparently, and if not, another organization will pay them (see Rory Mac, Ben Askren, etc). But at the end of the day, it's up to the UFC who they want to pay and don't. They are a business, you IDIOT!!! It's not a democratic process, where the fans get to vote on who they pay and don't. It's their decision.