Duda: MMA fighters should have unionized in 2022

of desperation for money. Glory MMA & Fitness coach James Krause and his MMA athlete Darrick Minner knowingly concealed a detrimental knee injury, and the betting line swung significantly in favor of his opponent hours before the fight.

peers are earning per fight. Being in the dark weakens their bargaining power when negotiating contracts. Unions would help this issue by

The COVID-19 pandemic jolted the labor union movement with workers risking their lives more than ever. The circumstances American workers faced — created by the pandemic and corporate responses to it — were a catalyst for the labor movement, and unions successfully emerged in major corporations like Starbucks, Amazon, Apple and Chipotle. Undoubtedly, each union election was inspired and driven by the success of others. So, why didn’t mixed martial arts fighters, a vastly underpaid group with extremely dangerous working conditions, use this momentum to similarly improve their labor situation?

In 2022 alone, there were several instances in which a union could have benefited MMA fighters. So far, 2023 has only presented a stronger case for unionization. A union would certainly not solve all of the issues, but the security of fair wages and health benefits from a union may prevent a fighter from engaging in unsavory or unsafe behavior out of desperation for money.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the most prominent MMA promotion company worldwide. So when UFC fighters say they have accepted fights due to financial desperation, it’s ironic that this wealthy promotion also screams “fighters need to unionize.” It would be markedly impactful for UFC athletes to move to unionize and set an example for all MMA organizations.

The most controversial MMA story of last year reported an alleged betting scandal reeking

Krause admitted he made substantial money by betting on MMA fights, and Minner had only six fights in the promotion leading up to the FBI’s ongoing investigation into the scandal. As a new fighter, Minner was egregiously underpaid — initial UFC fight contracts are typically between $10,000 and $30,000 per fight.

Minner’s choice to fight with a debilitating injury so he could financially survive should not be the status quo in the world’s premiere MMA organization. Rather, a union could grant fighters something comparable to paid sick leave or workman’s compensation. Would this have happened if coaches and athletes were earning commensurate salaries compared to other professional sports?

Some fighters have pushed for fair compensation and treatment by the UFC. The potential fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou would have easily been the biggest fight of the year. Ngannou could have made at least $600,000, which would be split among his coaches, managers and physical therapy. Fighters are rarely left with much. Heavyweight boxers, on the other hand, can make up to $33.6 million, like Tyson Fury did in his 2022 fight against Dillian Whyte.

The average fight purse — the agreed-upon pay that a fighter is to receive after completing the fight — is about $21,000. Most state athletic commissions do not disclose fight purses, which helps the UFC maintain control over fighters by preventing a fighter from knowing what their

Like their counterparts throughout the American workforce, (MMA) fighters will face worsening labor conditions due to greedy corporate reluctance to raises, sick days and terminating non-compete agreements.

- MELISSA DUDA, Op-Ed Contributor

advocating for higher wages and transparency in purse disclosures. Last year, the UFC inked multimillion dollar sponsorship deals with Crypto.com and Project Rock, but fighters do not see a penny of these arrangements. Fighters were better off when they could secure their sponsorship deals independent of the UFC — something the UFC no longer allows. A union would curtail this financial control by once again allowing fighters to have their own in-cage sponsors, securing a steady source of income for fighters in between events.

Of course, MMA fighters must overcome enormous hurdles for a union such as National or by dropping a letter in the box outside The Daily office. throughout Central Europe. He specialized in Byzantine studies because of the discipline’s more niche offerings compared to Greek and Roman studies, he said.

Labor Relations Board recognition as an employee rather than an independent contractor. But this is an uphill battle. As of 2021, UFC lobbyists have spent $240,000 on lobbying against the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021, which would redefine the employment status of mixed martial artists.

Another hurdle arises from the UFC fighters themselves. Many UFC fighters have voiced their opposition to unionizing, maintaining loyalty to UFC President Dana White. This would undoubtedly hinder union organizing efforts since voting for a union requires at least 30% of workers to sign a petition to unionize.

Like their counterparts throughout the American workforce, fighters will face worsening labor conditions due to greedy corporate reluctance to raises, sick days and terminating non-compete agreements. If MMA followed the example set by other professional sports in unionizing, fighters could regain financial control. Paradoxically, using the UFC’s own “the time is now” slogan, the time is now for fighters to push to unionize — 65% of Americans supported labor unions as of 2020, and public approval has not been higher in decades. Last year brought forth memorable union success stories for other corporations, and there is no reason MMA fighters cannot capitalize on this momentum in 2023.

Melissa Duda is a Weinberg first-year graduate student. She can be contacted at melissaduda2024@u. northwestern.edu.If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar.

Ivanov was not permitted to travel outside of Soviet Russia for research or personal purposes because he was not a Communist Party member. This did not limit his career, however, and he has since authored more than 200 scholarly publications.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist on Dec. 31, 1991 and was replaced by the Russian Federation.

“In communist times, the regime demanded that each person should vocally pledge allegiance to the regime,” Ivanov said. “Nowadays the regime is not so severe as to demand vocal loyalty from every single subject of theirs, as yet.”

However, Ivanov said the current Russian government is becoming increasingly more rigid with its policies. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, he and his family fled to Armenia, and then Germany.

Ivanov said he personally doesn’t know anyone in Russia who supports the war in Ukraine, but added that it is risky to openly criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters have been arrested since the conflict began.

“We felt it was impossible to live in the country which launched such an unjust and cruel war,” Ivanov said.

According to Ivanov, the Russian government tries not to draw attention to the war and atrocities committed against Ukrainian citizens.

A July poll conducted by the Levada Center, an independent polling company based in Moscow, reported that 76% of Russians supported the military operations in Ukraine.

But, after Russia mobilized an additional 300,000 reservists to fight against Ukraine in September, Ivanov said support for the war decreased dramatically.

“You can pretend nothing is happening until boys are being enlisted and sent to death, so in September, it was impossible to make this pretense anymore, and the level of support for the regime began falling

Keynote

From page 1

School of Law Sheila Bedi joined her on stage for a conversation.

They discussed topics like police brutality, law enforcement reform and availability of public services.

“Sherrilyn Ifill and Professor Sheila Bedi together prove to be a tour de force in centering us on not only the history of civil rights but our current responsibility around anti-racism,” Robin R. Means Coleman, vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion, said.

Ifill, who was named one of Time Magazine’s

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immediately,” Ivanov said. According to internal polling from the Kremlin in December, just 25% of Russians were in favor of continuing Russia’s involvement in the war.

Ivanov said the most difficult part about leaving Moscow was leaving his friends and colleagues and uprooting his daily life. He specified that he “relocated” to the United States, rather than “emigrated” because he hopes to return to Russia. But, he does not know when he will return.

Before he returns to Russia, Ivanov will teach NU History and Classics department courses Winter and Spring quarter. He is currently teaching Classics 320: Byzantium: Emperors & Hooligans, a course on the history of Byzantine emperors and saints.

Weinberg sophomore Troy Kim said he enrolled in Ivanov’s class to fill a distribution requirement, but he has been “pleasantly surprised” by how much he enjoys the content.

“At the end of the day, history isn’t just recalling facts. People have their own interpretations and readings,” Kim said. “It’s really interesting to get a seasoned veteran’s perspective.”

Classics Department Chair Prof. Sara Monoson said the department was eager to invite Ivanov to teach, as he is a “distinguished scholar” in Byzantium studies.

The department currently does not have any other Byzantium specialists, she said.

“We were eager to (both) help, given the circumstances, and to be supportive of someone who had to make that choice and also very happy to welcome a specialist in that field to our faculty,” Monoson said. “His colleagues are enjoying his company enormously.” fionaroach2025@u.northwestern.edu

Ivanov said he was more easily able to leave Russia than some of his former associates because he already had colleagues and connections across the globe.

He added that he expects to take on different visiting positions at various universities before he can finally return home.

“I am still very solidly sure that my home is in Moscow,” Ivanov said.

Most Influential People of 2021 and one of the publication’s Women of the Year in 2022, said that no one gets to sit out in the movement for progress.

She said the phrase “influencer” implies a monetized presence on social media, but that she wants to challenge that definition.

“I absolutely want to be an influencer,” Ifill told The Daily. “I want to be an influencer for the causes that I believe in. I want to be an influencer for equality and justice for a new vision of what law and justice can mean in this country.”

Ifill said people need to bring their specialties to the table to add to an ecosystem of change.

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Daily Sudoku

From page 1 we would consider solar.”

The city installed solar panels on the Evanston Water Treatment Plant in 2010 without a power purchase agreement to better understand the difficulties in operating solar installations, Biggs said. The city quickly discovered it lacked the staffing and resources to stay on top of updates to solar technology.

Adam Perri, head of operations at solar panel installation company WindFree Solar, said his company partners with the purchasing program group Grow Solar Chicagoland.

With residents’ advocacy, he said it’s feasible for Evanston to create more public-sector solar power.

“It’s definitely possible,” Perri said. “A lot of cities can do it. They just need the will to do so. It takes forward thinking and their citizens getting involved and telling them what they want.”

In 2018, City Council approved its Climate Action and Resilience Plan, reinvigorating interest in powering public buildings with solar panels, Bigg said. CARP set several environmental goals for

Abortion Rights

From page 1

Hoffman

formed Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights

alongside other activists in January 2022, when the Supreme Court appeared poised to overturn Roe.

On the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the group rallied in Washington, D.C. to announce and call for “a growing movement of mass, sustained, nonviolent protest to stop the Supreme Court from decimating abortion rights,” according to their website.

Now, Taylor said the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade marked a “painful, infuriating nodal point,” in part because of the countless women who have lost their lives due to a lack of access to safe abortion. According to the World Health Organization, unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal death.

This sentiment resonated with Research Projects Associate Yael Mayer, who attended the keynote.

“I found it powerful in the sense that you don’t have to have (Ifill’s) type of job to be making changes … in the spaces that you influence,” Mayer said.

Ifill’s speech reminded her of Reverend Al Sharpton’s quote on MLK Day, stating that it is not a day of rest but rather a day of action.

University President Michael Schill also attended the event and said he greatly enjoyed the talk.

“I’m a lawyer, so I sort of know a lot of the law, but it was the personal side of it,” Schill said.

the city, including 100% renewable electricity for all properties by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Evanston Animal Shelter is undergoing major renovations later this year — the city’s first major public building renovation since CARP was approved, according to Biggs.

“Using CARP as a blueprint, we’re so excited that the animal shelter will be our first net-zero greenhouse gas mission building,” she said. “For future buildings, we’re looking at how to convert them, but it’s going to take some time to get through all those projects.”

Older buildings tend to be less compatible with solar panel installation, according to Biggs.

Though retrofitting older buildings may take some time, Biggs said she is optimistic about Evanston’s progress.

“It’s really exciting to be part of a community that really cares about these things and really asks and demands that the city also adjust its own operations,” Biggs said. “It’s an interesting time and we’re excited about it, but it is just one building at a time.” samanthastevens2024@u.northwestern.edu

“Thousands and thousands of women died in botched, illegal, back alley abortions,” Taylor said. “I have heard more stories than I can recount of people who held their best friends as they bled to death and couldn’t tell anybody, who lost their mothers or who nearly did. It is such a common experience.”

She and Hoffman emphasized the importance of fighting for abortion as a right that people should have nationwide, not just in individual states.

Hoffman said everyone should ask themselves what they can realistically do for abortion rights.

“Don’t look for a safe space,” Hoffman said. “There are no safe spaces in this world, particularly for women and girls. Lean into your righteous rage and act.” divyabhardwaj2025@u.northwestern.edu

“It was … the view from the inside of someone striving for racial justice.”

Ifill told The Daily that accurately understanding the moment allows people to understand their opportunities and challenges they face.

She said being active in community initiatives and voting is important but so is believing in the ability to create change.

“To do civil rights work you have to call people into something beyond what they see, you know,” Ifill said to The Daily. “The facts are important, but they’re not what motivates you.” lexigoldstein2026@u.northwestern.edu