Brazilian court case reveals relationship between UFC and fighter managers | Ep. 217

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In today’s episode, we’re looking at a Brazilian court case that has flown under the radar for months, but we’ve got the documents that reveal details of the relationship between fighter managers and the UFC. Behind our paywall, we’ll be going over What’s App messages between an MMA manager and UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard. We also discuss Paramount Plus’ big price hike that goes into effect next week and why Canadian fans will still have to buy UFC PPVs. We also talk about VICE TV’s forays into combat sports with the latest being LFA. There’s a lot more, so make sure to follow along with our outline as you listen:

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Episode 217 Outline

* Have there been any new filings in the UFC antitrust cases?

* Sean Strickland said he was pressured into taking the Dricus du Plessis fight while recovering from a shoulder injury saying, “You don’t say no [to the UFC], they’re our pimps. You don’t say no to the master. I was backed up into a corner taking that fight.” What are your thoughts on what he said?

* Our friend Rob Nashville reminded us a couple days ago of the price increase for Paramount Plus happening next week. The hike will see the annual plan skyrocket from $59.99 to $89.99. Considering how steep that increase is, do you foresee them hiking up prices as rapidly as ESPN did?

* Why will Canadian sports fans still have to pay for UFC events as PPVs?

* Will there be a change at some point so that they can also just pay one subscription price?

* You quoted a post on Twitter about online gambling destroying young men in America. Remind listeners how much of an impact on sports gambling the UFC will have with Polymarket.

* LFA recently announced it had signed a deal to air on VICE TV. Is that platform large enough to provide any real lifeline for them, or are they just delaying their own demise with this deal?

* Are there any other outlets that could throw a lifeline to struggling MMA and boxing promotions?

* Do you think Top Rank could end up on VICE TV?

* PFL’s former CEO Peter Murray is out and additionally, several longtime key employees have been laid off. What do you make of that?

* We have some documents from a Brazilian court case involving Taila Santos. Can you tell us more about what the case and what the documents we will be looking at are?

* What do these filings reveal about the relationship between managers and the UFC?

* Apparently, Mick Maynard explained why some fighters get 10/10 deals and other fighters 12/12 when they debut. What was the reason?

* Do we have any examples of contract negotiations?

* Do we see any communications from the UFC regarding extensions?*PDF (42 pages) of What’s App messages between Marcelo Brigadeiro and Mick Maynard