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http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/12/...-threatened-to-walk-randy-couture-ali-act-mma
Interesting read by Amy Dash. It's worth a look for those interested in the law and order of MMA.
It's a long article though, so here's cliffs.
- Congress is scheduled to hold a hearing in regards to expanding the Muhammad Ali Act to encompass all combat sports Thursday, on CSPAN (set the DVR folks! 'dis is gonna be good!).
- Though the witness list is supposed to be kept confidential until 48 hours out from the hearing (Tuesday morning), word got back to the UFC that Randy Couture was asked to speak on behalf of fighters.
- Representative Markwayne Mullin: “They (the UFC) had threatened to walk because they didn’t want us to have Randy Couture on the panel. We want them to participate but they can’t be dictating who we can and cannot have on the panel. This isn’t an ‘I gotchu hearing,’ this is giving perspectives across the board.”
- According to Mullin, the UFC did eventually back down. “They were the only ones trying to dictate who we could and couldn’t have on the panel and that’s not their place to do that.”
- A UFC spokesperson denies Mullin's allegation.
- Several sources confirm the UFC will be sending Jeff Novitsky to represent them and testify on the panel.
- So far, Randy Couture is the only fighter set to speak. Couture only recently was formally penciled in to speak, and is representing fighters who desire the Ali Act to encompass MMA.
- Couture on the UFC trying to influence the witness list: “Are you surprised by that? The landscape for the entire sport would change if we are successful. They’ve been trying to derail this hearing and not have it happen at all. So I’m not surprised that they are gonna pull out all the stops.”
- "If passed, the Ali Act would outlaw coercive contracts lasting more than a year, returning promotional rights back to fighters after a year, providing avenues for fighters to sue promoters and create an independent rank and title system, among other provisions." - Amy Dash, MMA journalist (quoted from her article)
- The end of the article outlines the process of passing the bill. Mullin comments about the UFC spending hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting the bill, and questions why they would spend so much money fighting a bill he believes will benefit the fighters.
- Mullin: "They’ve approached just about everybody on the committee at one time or another trying to get to them. I know they reached out to everybody that’s a co-sponsor of the bill and some of them have taken a meeting with them, some of them haven’t."
- Rep. Mullin goes on to say he has bipartisan support for the bill, despite the UFC's lobbying efforts. Fascinating stuff.
- Mullin also says this isn't about painting the UFC "as the big, bad wolf", and says the UFC deserves credit where credit is due, bringing MMA to where it is today. But he supports this bill, and believes it is beneficial for the fighters.
- It will take persistence on the part of supporters to see this bill through. If the bill is passed by the House and Senate, which would take months, President-elect Donald Trump will be in office and he would be the one to sign the bill into law.
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