George St Pierre has been to the top of the UFC and MMA world. It’s fair to say he is an authority on the sport and knows how it can grow. So, when he says “It’s not a question of if it should happen, a union — it’s a question of when it will happen,” we are definitely listening.
During a conversation with MMA Fighting, St Pierre, he revealed that he believes it has to happen because we can see examples of the same in boxing, hockey, basketball and many other sports. He says MMA is a young sport so it has not got the same attention as other pro sports have. However, things have changed from what they were 20 years ago.
People have tried in the past but the effort failed due to some reason or another. St Pierre added that many issues can be addressed that would make the sport a better industry like CTE coverage and salary problems. A union could potentially solve most, if not all, of these problems.
He also spoke about how fans only hear about the guys that reach the pinnacle of the sport like Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov and himself who retired healthy, while 99.9 percent fighters left the sport in bad conditions.
GSP empathized with those who crashed out before getting their big payday events. He concluded by saying a union could develop programs for fighters and provide a vital safety net for those looking to go pro.
Georges St Pierre and Previous Efforts at Unionization
This is not the first time St Pierre is putting in his efforts to bring up an MMA union. He was one of five famous fighters who formed the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) in 2016.
The list included names like T.J. Dillashaw, Cain Velasquez, Donald Cerrone, and Tim Kennedy. The organization also involved former Bellator owner Bjorn Rebney. St Pierre was particularly vocal about the union and emphasized on fighters needing to “stand together” to get equitable returns from the UFC and other promotions.
However, the MMAAA did not produce any particular momentum with the UFC and other promotions. More recently, Tim Kennedy revealed that the association failed because many fighters feared repercussions from the UFC.
Can Jake Paul Make the Difference?
Jake Paul struck abet with Anderson Silva before their boxing match that if Silva lost, he would support creating an MMA fighter’s union. Now that Paul has won, Silva will be obliged to support his call for unionization.
If this turns out to be a real endeavor, Jake Paul can expect the Georges St-Pierre to back his bid. The UFC Legend said that if the organization was done well, he was willing to do anything to help the fighters.
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