GSP: UFC monopoly, doping policy among reasons for hiatus

[Bernman]

This is all speculation.

And so is saying GSP is only criticizing Zuffa now because of sour grapes.

But one is a more reasonable belief based on history of the parties involved and reading between the lines.

The UFC has signed guys with history in Bellator multiple times.

Not the last main one, it was particularly a joke of a move, insiders have suggested this is a policy now, and spurning Askren alone has anecdotally prevented some prospects from signing with Bellator.

[Cammo101]

This is all speculation.

And so is saying GSP is only criticizing Zuffa now because of sour grapes.

But one is a more reasonable belief based on history of the parties involved and reading between the lines.

The UFC has signed guys with history in Bellator multiple times.

Not the last main one, it was particularly a joke of a move, insiders have suggested this is a policy now, and spurning Askren alone has anecdotally prevented some prospects from signing with Bellator.

I never said GSP was only criticizing because of sour grapes. I said it feels hypocritical to ride that wave when it is convenient and then speak out once you retire. It's kind of like Barry Bonds now being super mad about steroids in baseball. As it pertains to the PED stuff, I mostly agree with GSP.

I hope it is not policy to avoid ex-Bellator fighters. That would be disappointing. The UFC has 2 ex-Bellator champs fighting right now and tried to sign a third. So if that is now a rule, it's a pretty new one.

[singh_shady]

If Peyton Manning gets fired from the NFL he'd be making 30K a year in the Arena league. If Jon Jones got fired by the UFC tomorrow, WSOF and Bellator would trip over each other to offer him 7 figure contract. Some monopoly.

If Peyton Manning got cut he'd get a multi-million dollar contract from a CFL team. Football is also a niche North American sport whereas MMA is worldwide, so what's your point here Cammo? The UFC is a monopoly, lets be real here.

There is a total conflict on interest here, the first thing on Dana's mind is not the integrity of the sport, it's the bottom line. He's essentially a commissioner with a large stake in the company.

[singh_shady]

"Talk to me face to face like a man." Gimme a f*ckin break Dana

[REDDzone]

"Talk to me face to face like a man." Gimme a f*ckin break Dana

GSP will face down judokas, karatekas, boxers, kickboxers, muay thai artsists, jiu jitsukas, etc...but when it comes to fat boxercisers, no way jose, he wouldn't dare.

[blkout]

Dana's got those fatceps. I wouldn't **** with that

[Jasen777]

I never said GSP was only criticizing because of sour grapes. I said it feels hypocritical to ride that wave when it is convenient and then speak out once you retire.

GSP was a loyal company man for quite some time. He probably finally reached a point where he couldn't handle it anymore. As a long time champion and the company's biggest draw (non-Brock division) perhaps he felt, rightly, that he deserved a little respect from the UFC. Instead Dana threw him under the bus about wanting to do stricter drug testing for his fight, and then insulted him after his taking a break announcement.

There are other reasons than hypocrisy to change one's mind. Maybe he trusted that the UFC, with it's highly profitable dominate market position, would eventually do the right things for their fighters, only to have that trust broken on a personal level.

[GoRapstheoriginal]

I never said GSP was only criticizing because of sour grapes. I said it feels hypocritical to ride that wave when it is convenient and then speak out once you retire.

GSP was a loyal company man for quite some time. He probably finally reached a point where he couldn't handle it anymore. As a long time champion and the company's biggest draw (non-Brock division) perhaps he felt, rightly, that he deserved a little respect from the UFC. Instead Dana threw him under the bus about wanting to do stricter drug testing for his fight, and then insulted him after his taking a break announcement.

There are other reasons than hypocrisy to change one's mind. Maybe he trusted that the UFC, with it's highly profitable dominate market position, would eventually do the right things for their fighters, only to have that trust broken on a personal level.

Totally this! Well said!

[cgf]

I commend George for trying to change the landscape and provide a platform for the fighters to have a voice, not just pertaining to PEDs but on any issue that matters to them. The way things are structured right now, there's just no incentive for the other UFC superstars to band together and stick up for the rest of the athletes as a whole.

There's no other sports organization where all the decisions are essentially made by 3 or 4 guys at the top.

...except for the biggest sport in the world, or the biggest sport in america. Both of whom are ruled by a few guys at the top, Platini and Uefa, Blatter and Fifa, and Goodell with a select few owners for the NFL.

[Jasen777]

Dana's got those fatceps. I wouldn't **** with that

And he used to beat up Tito Ortiz all the time.

[REDDzone]

Dana's got those fatceps. I wouldn't **** with that

And he used to beat up Tito Ortiz all the time.

So funny, UG blog article on Wednesday was titled "Dana White: I didn't have what it took to be a fighter"

UG Blog article on Thursday titled: "Dana White: I used to beat the **** out of Tito"

lmao.

(those titles are by memory, may be a little off)

[blkout]

I was watching some interview he did about that boxing show he's doing and he was sitting there talking about how he used to be an amateur boxer and he wanted to continue with it and eventually go professional etc. And while he's sitting there I was thinking "this is believable" because he's a big enough guy, he looks like at some point in the distant past he could've been a fighter of some sort. Then I remembered that the time he was talking about he looked like this;

[duppyy]

Yves Lavigne twitter

https://twitter.com/YvesLavignemma/stat ... 29/photo/1

Apparently GSP is starting a fighters union? lol

[Jasen777]

They need one.

[Bernman]

Yves Lavigne twitter

https://twitter.com/YvesLavignemma/stat ... 29/photo/1

Apparently GSP is starting a fighters union? lol

That's awesome! Let's hope it can take hold. I think for it to work he needs to get a large group to agree quietly in gyms to join, and for them to be willing to pool their money to make ends meet in the interim. Otherwise it won't come together in the first place with fighters worried about being singled out and blackballed by Zuffa, or it will fall apart with fighters who need to feed their families crossing the picket line.

[REDDzone]

Does that say he is doing it, or asking whether he should do it?

I'm super, super skeptical. Could you even imagine the Dana meltdown. IDK if he could come back from it.

[CPT]

Yves Lavigne twitter

https://twitter.com/YvesLavignemma/stat ... 29/photo/1

Apparently GSP is starting a fighters union? lol

Interesting. There was talk of this when the articles in the OP came out, but this is the most concrete reference to GSP possibly starting a fighters union I've seen.

That said, I've already seen some sources indicate that this is premature, false, a hoax, etc.

Will definitely be paying attention to this.

I wonder if GSP will come up against any resistance from other fighters, given his stance on PEDs/drug testing.

I also wonder what a union would mean for the sport. I think it would be good long term, because salaries would go up, attracting a higher level of athlete, but I wonder if that is overstated sometimes. These guys don't go into the sport to be a curtain-jerker or gatekeeper; they think they will be the best, and right now, the top guys are pretty high profile. I'm also not sure how the fighter vs. athlete breakdown would be affected.

And in the short term, from the fan's perspective, I don't know how it would change things. The UFC has some questionable tactics and policies, but they've generally done a pretty good job of giving the fans what they want. I'm not sure how a fighter's union would affect that.