Leslie Smith dishes on the UFC's underhanded tactics - interview with Luke Thomas

[thomnasty]

Just get rid of all WMMA.

Problem solved.

 

[mad55555]

Then take it up with the NLRB. Until that point they are IC's and should be treated as such. Transport paid, bare minimum required to do the job and you are required to pay for any and all things needed for your certifications. You do not pay for your electricians certifications do you? I do not pay my gardener extra mileage if he needs a bigger piece of equipment.

but they did not pay her full transport as stated in her contract and I am assuming all the other fighters transport in full as they should. They gave her $500 to shut up. I agree if they are IC then they should be treated as such but the UFC is not treating them like IC. THey are litterally treating them like employees and not IC. You also do not make your electricians wear certain uniforms or tell them they can only work for you.

 

[chubbman]

She dishes the dirt?

She should be in the kitchen doing the dishes barefoot and pregnant

Fixed

 

[chubbman]

Lots of people want to watch them and Leslie vs Aldana was an entertaining war as were a lot of Leslie's fights.

Most of you WMMA hating virgins are fat and hilariously unathletic.

Go away Leslie, you’re drunk

 

[VAfan]

not really news there. everybody knows you get treated like shit until you're the champ.

 

[KantoTerror]

Well it's more the reasoning behind why she was cut, she was cut over absolutely nothing.

She's won two in a row, in a horrible division. Her opponent missed weight and she was more than happy to fight her but it made zero financial sense. I'm pretty sure if you offered Conor 20 million to not take a fight, or 10 million to fight and risk the other 10 million, he would probably would do the same.

Only an idiot would risk money when you're not earning much.

Let's not act like Leslie Smith makes a lot of money from MMA.

Well that is true...but it's also in the orgs every right who they renew contracts with.

 

[tithas]

She is an "independent contractor" who is required to work exclusively for the UFC, and who is subject to their total control just like any regular employee. Let's face it, this has become a common unscrupulous legal loophole used by many American employers these days to gain all of the upside having of employees without having for themselves the mandated obligations to employees that come with having regular employees.

She is required to FIGHT exclusively for the UFC, not work for them. She is free to do anything else non-combat sports related every other second of her day.

 

[MadHouse]

i don't see anything wrong there

whether she physically competed or not it did count as a win and she had no problem taking the full pursue so why the fuck wouldn't it count? as for the UFC not resigning well that's there decision she isn't entitled to a new contract

 

[Klippy]

I respect her because its a tough sport and its hard way to make a living, but she isn't a needle mover. I've never been excited for a Leslie Smith fight.

 

[tithas]

but they did not pay her full transport as stated in her contract and I am assuming all the other fighters transport in full as they should. They gave her $500 to shut up. I agree if they are IC then they should be treated as such but the UFC is not treating them like IC. THey are litterally treating them like employees and not IC. You also do not make your electricians wear certain uniforms or tell them they can only work for you.

Then go to the NLRB and change it. Until that moment they are a IC and should be treated as such. She is free to do anything she wants, non combat sports, so she has zero employment restrictions outside that. A good layer would argue that and win easily based upon the money they put into fighters and the fact that dangerous sports can make that money null and void. If you have put a few thousand into prep work for a project but your contractor calls in hurt due to him/her doing a dangerous activity, after you signed a contract with them then you have a right to recoup all that money spent prior. Advertising and promotion is the same concept. The "uniform" is a sketchy one but they can always argue that it is performance and safety related. The uniform is also a sketchy one because the fighters actually have zero right to advertising for anyone on a UFC broadcast as they do not own the distribution methods or the content. The fact that they used to be able to make free money using the UFC's content (ie the fights) was a favor, not a right.

 

[Irishwhiskey119]

Go away Leslie, you’re drunk

Here's one of them.

 

[dim_]

So now she's taking legal against the ufc for not renewing her contract.. On what grounds ?

And she's starting a go fund me for legal expenses

You just got paid $62k for not fighting and you want us to donate to a fucking gofundme?

 

[98bird]

as an example//

the other day Leslie was comparing the UFC./Fighter relationship to domestic abuse



Its a shit comparison, but when you are gonna say stuff like that why the fuck would hte UFC renew your contract.



You can be pro union, you can be pro athlete rights without saying dumb shit and comparing it to domestic abuse cases (honestly, she should know better) - dont even gvet me started on her logic that victims of domestic abuse bring it on themselves

She says she's checking out Bellator. I'm sure Coker can't wait to have someone on that's bound to call him a Nazi, rapist, homophobe or something.

 

[Better Every Day]

She is required to FIGHT exclusively for the UFC, not work for them. She is free to do anything else non-combat sports related every other second of her day.

How does that differ from a regular employer-employee relationship?
And would not an independent contractor normally be free to do the same work for others?

 

[Steve-French]

She's been making noise about a fighters union for a couple of years now. Even after the UFC paid for her to have a stomach tumor removed. It's not a suprise that the UFC would cut her. It's not like she's a draw or anything.

From a fan's perspective I seriously hope a fighters union never happens. I know it would be good for the fighter's, but MMA would end up swallowing up boxing's business model of squash matches and showcase fights if this ever happens.

While we get the occasional money fight (which we have had like 4 of) the UFC is good about putting on the fights that the fans want to see.

 

[The Merchant]

And she's starting a go fund me for legal expenses

You just got paid $62k for not fighting and you want us to donate to a fucking gofundme?

Again if you read the full text, people are asking her how they can help , so she set up a go fund me page.

How can you be so precise and accurate about the doping stuff and then be such a cherry picker over information like this. It's a startlingly obvious bias, you're normally one of the few people on here who can objectively parse information. It's a reflection on my confusion that i'm even posting this. I'm genuinely interested what the root of the bias is?

 

[LouisBolanos]

I worked for the UK Government and you can speak against them and organise unions no problem. In fact it's protected by law.I'm sure this is all across my continent. Sure some younger or less well developed countries might not have caught up in employment rights etc. For majority of Westerners it is the real world. For the rest however...according to 2015 census data 71% of the world live on less than 10 dollars a day. So the majority of the world don't give a fuck.

I would hate to see how my mining in the UK would have turned out if everyone was as servile and domesticated as yourself.

The UFC is not the government, it's a private company. Did you fail your GCSEs so badly you can't tell the difference? You can talk shit about the government on a public street and that's protected by free speech, but if you talk shit about a private company on their private grounds they can legally tell you to GTFO any time they like.

Leslie Smith is like that delusional butthurt Shedogger who talked shit about Sherdog admins and then cry about getting banned. And lol at Brits not being domesticated. Your government almost put a guy who made a joke video with his pug responding to Nazi commands in jail for hate speech.

I hope she blows her savings on a frivolous lawsuit for my enjoyment.

 

[007]

That isn't consistent with rewarding her with a FOTN bonus for her victory two fights back. It may surprise you, but lots of fans who aren't you like to watch FOTN-worthy fights.

Two fights back.. When she was Knockedout by Cyborg? Or the Aldana fight

 

[The Merchant]

The UFC is not the government, it's a private company. Did you fail your GCSEs so badly you can't tell the difference? You can talk shit about the government on a public street and that's protected by free speech, but if you talk shit about a private company on their private grounds they can legally tell you to GTFO any time they like.

Leslie Smith is like that delusional butthurt Shedogger who talked shit about Sherdog admins and then cry about getting banned. And lol at Brits not being domesticated. Your government almost put a guy who made a joke video with his pug responding to Nazi commands in jail for hate speech.

I hope she blows her savings on a frivolous lawsuit for my enjoyment.

Yeah but the rules cover all employment. I could pretend i worked for a private company to make the point simpler for you, but i just assumed there would be no need, I was wrong.

We don't sit GCSE's here so probably best not highlighting your ignorance in other realms as well.

See you're conflating "talk shit" with "unionise" nobody in the judiciary would be seeing it in terms of "talking shit", it would be heard in an adult court with adult terms. Not, grunt.. you talk shit we fire you.

I have no idea what Leslie Smith is, i'm just making sure the information on the thread is correct.

It wasn't the government, it was the Airdrie Sherriff who fined him for £800. It is one of the most ridiculous things ever, i'm glad it is getting derided by people far and wide.

 

[dim_]

And would not an independent contractor normally be free to do the same work for others?

no.

cyclists are independent contractors but have obligation to ride for only one team and wear that teams kit all teh time for the full length of their contract (even training)

tennis players are independant contractors but have to get permission to compete in unsanctioned tournaments, hacve uniform policies at tournaments, anti doping commitments etc

there are hundreds of thousands of athletes (mkore like millions) of athletes around the world that are independent contractors but are contracted to compete under certain organisations, or have uniform restrictions, or have anti doping responsibilities.

why do people insist on trying to compare fighters to plumbers or builders




its not a job, its a sport. and sport is not a right. competing is a privilege. and if sportsmen and women want to compete in a sport they have to abide by the rules of the sporting body under which they want to compete.