UFC Looking To Obtain More Personal Information From Fighters
The UFC are well known for checking up on it’s athletes, background checks and medicals are common practice for the organization’s fighters.
But it looks like the company are intent on stepping up it’s game to try to find out more about it’s current contractees and also find out more about fighters which the UFC want to sign in the future.
Last week a questionnaire was sent to managers with athletes in the UFC, asking for all of it’s fighters to release personal information for more background checks. The form also asked for medical details, as well as educational and criminal history.
The most interesting part of the questionnaire was a section which requested the fighters to have their doctor/patient confidentiality removed. The removal would allow the UFC to speak about any medical problems with the healthcare providers.
According to sources who spoke to MMAJunkie, all fighters under contract must provide the information needed in the new questionnaires. The following letter was attached to the document, signed by the UFC’s senior vice president of business and legal Affairs, Michael Mersch:
“Zuffa LLC requires its contracted fighters to act in a legal and responsible manner and avoid conduct detrimental to the integrity of the UFC organization. As the UFC’s highest profile independent contractors and as ambassadors of the sport of mixed martial arts, UFC fighters are held to a high standard by Zuffa, the media and the public.
It is important for Zuffa to be fully informed of your background in order to evaluate and potentially assist on matter that may be detrimental to the integrity of the UFC organization.”
The UFC has said the information requested in the form is nothing new and has been collected for several years. According to a representative for the promotion, the new form only consolidates the permissions into a single area.
Managers who spoke to MMAJunkie under the condition of anonymity, expressed their concerns about the amount of information which is requested on the forms. But Warren Zola, a professor of sports at a law at Boston College said the practice can be very common and although not all employers do it, it certainly is not illegal:
“Companies ask independent contractors to sign all sorts of documents regarding their backgrounds, waivers of liability, (and) background checks, which is certainly very common for many firms.” He said. “It’s certainly more than many employers would ask, but it’s certainly not illegal.
A private association has their own constitution, bylaws and rules. They can apply or impose whatever they think those rules are,” he continued. “This fighter can either abide by them or not, but they can’t really contest them, if you will.”
The UFC is obviously doing everything it can to protect it’s brand and if that includes sacrificing some of it’s fighters private information, that’s exactly what they will do.
What do you think about the amount of information the UFC requests from it’s fighters?
