Description
Book Synopsis Barbaric. Savage. Violent. Words often used by critics to describe the sport of mixed martial arts. To this can be added lucrative, popular and flourishing. MMA has seen astronomical growth since the 2000s, spurred on by its biggest promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).
Along the way, legal issues have plagued the sport. This book provides an overview of the most important cases and controversies arising both inside and outside of the cage--antitrust suits by fighters against promoters, fighters suing other fighters, drug testing, contractual issues, and the need for federal regulation.
Table of Contents
- Preface 1
- Introduction 4
- 1. The Fight for New York 7
- 2. MMA's Drug Problem—Enter USADA 25
- 3. After Clearing Name with USADA, Athletes Sue 41
- 4. Independent Contractor or Employee 48
- 5. Injunctions and Matches—Trying to Leave a Promotion 60
- 6. Contractual Ties and Attempts to Break Them 73
- 7. The Athlete-Agent Relationship 82
- 8. Should the Ali Act Include MMA? 90
- 9. RICO, Defamation and Slavery—More Legal Disputes Featuring UFC and Disgruntled Fighters 102
- 10. The UFC Antitrust Lawsuit 120
- 11. The MMA Startup—Problems Abound in the World Series of Fighting 141
- 12. MMA and IP 149
- 13. The Fight to Promote Fights 162
- 14. Odds and Ends 175
- 15. Emerging Legal Issues 185
- Chapter Notes 189
- Bibliography 198
- Index 209
