Is Bellator Fighting Dirty?
[Ed. note: Gregory Monskie is a practicing attorney in the areas of Media & Employment Law, and is now the newest member of the MMAConvert.com team. Gregory will primarily be focusing on the business/legal/contractual topics and issues that arise in MMA. Welcome Gregory.] While the UFC cleaned up its act inside the cage several years ago, many feel that the UFC continues to fight dirty with its fighters behind the scenes. But are they alone? On the eve of the debut of upstart promotion Bellator Fighting Championships on April 3 some in the MMA community are already crying foul with respect to the standard contract being offered. With the signing of highly ranked lightweight fighter Eddie Alvarez, Bellator seems to be on its way to a good start. But for those fighters without the star power of Alvarez, it is doubtful they will be able to negotiate some of the more draconian terms. One issue drawing complaints is that Bellator is locking fighters into a long-term deal. The standard term
