Recently the Nevada State Athletic Commission made the decision to no longer release fighter purses from MMA fights held in the state. This has struck the ire of UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith.
As much as Smith is a highly regarded fighter, he has spent a lot of time recently, discussing perceived issues in the sport. He has been vocal over issues such as cornermen and referees, and not necessarily for great reason. However he has also stood up for issues like fighter pay, generally looking to support the athletes.
Anthony Smith Goes Off On Nevada State Athletic Commission
Recently it was revealed that NSAC would no longer release information on MMA fighter pay, after already being one of the few states to do so. This is something that frustrated Anthony Smith, as he made clear on SiriusXM recently. Here, he admitted that the numbers NSAC provides are hardly accurate, but says that there is no denying this prevents fighters from being able to effectively bargain for their contracts. Not only that, but he proceeds to go off on the commission, taking them to task.
“It used to be ‘I don’t want fans to know how much money I make,'” Smith said. “Number one, half the time those reports that come out, they’re almost always wrong. A lot of times they’re like two or three contracts behind, which I don’t mind, because people don’t actually know. But if we all know what each other makes, then that gives us power when negotiating. Like ‘I beat so and so, he beat this person, I’m here in the rankings, this guy made this money,’ and you can kind of use it. I guess that gets taken away, but mine was never correct. That’s just what was on the bout agreement. That’s what they’re showing. They’re showing what’s on the bout agreement. Fortunately they’re not showing our contracts and stuff.
“I’ve been saying that the commissions are useless for a long time,” Smith continued. “We hate you, as fighters. We can’t stand being around you. They think that their job is this super important position, and that they’re these fiduciary for the fighters. You’re not. We look at you like the police. Like I will avoid you, and that’s why we don’t like you. That’s why the commissions are looking to punish a fighter and pull them from a fight. That’s why we don’t like you, you guys get in the way.
“I don’t understand this move,” Smith concluded. “If you’re not releasing information, and we as fighters don’t like you, and you don’t actually do anything to look over the fighters or keep the UFC accountable or whatever, what do you actually do?”
🔊 @lionheartasmith reacts to the news that the NSAC will no longer release fighter purses, and says that athletic commissions are not the fiduciaries of fighters that they claim to be. 🚨 @RJcliffordMMA pic.twitter.com/XxpJgpz604
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) July 21, 2020
These are some pretty aggressive comments from Anthony Smith. He is absolutely correct that this decision from the athletic commission is pretty blatantly done to aid the promotions, not the fighters. On the other hand, saying that they are completely useless may be a bit of a stretch.
