A teleconference scheduled for Wednesday promises a star-studded lineup and an “industry re-defining mixed martial arts announcement,” but the subject is being held under wraps.
Former UFC champs Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez and T.J. Dillashaw all are set to participate, as is onetime title challenger Donald Cerrone and Tim Kennedy.
Two years after going radio silent in the wake of his departure from Bellator, Bjorn Rebney also will appear.
So what’s the call about? It’s anyone’s guess, even though the names on the list strongly suggest an effort to organize MMA fighters.
Recently, St-Pierre and Cerrone have been public advocates for collective bargaining. Dillashaw has questioned the UFC’s impartiality in contract negotiations. Like St-Pierre and Velasquez, he is represented by Creative Artists Agency, a long-held rival of the UFC’s new owners, WME-IMG.
David Viggiano of O’Malley Hansen Communications said he was recently hired by several clients – whom he declined to name – to reach out to the media about the call. But he said all information about its subject is strictly embargoed until the call, which takes place Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. He added he has yet to see any press materials from the clients.
As MMAjunkie recently reported, the upstart Professional Fighters Association, headed by former baseball super agent Jeff Borris, attracted interest from several top-level fighters, including Cerrone and Kennedy. The organization outlined 10 goals for its efforts to organize fighters, including a pension, health insurance and a share of UFC revenues. Its goals appeared to be solely directed at UFC fighters.
But until the Wednesday call gets underway, there’s no way to know exactly what it will be about. The MMA world will have to wait.
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