Why UFC fighter and MMA promoter James Krause isn't so sure a union is for him

A torn hamstring is keeping James Krause out of the octagon until February. But he’s not going broke.

Krause, a UFC lightweight since his famous double bonus in 2013, has set it up that way. But as he knows well, others aren’t aren’t so lucky.

“I see some of these guys that can’t put their damn shoes on, and I’m not exaggerating,” Krause (23-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC), who was forced to withdraw from a recent booking at UFC Fight Night 99, told MMAjunkie Radio. “I see guys that can barely pick their kids up. That’s not a way to live, and for you to have no future compensation for that is a terrible thing.”

The way things are now, MMA fighters are independent contractors. They’re responsible for saving money for their longterm future, which is a difficult task in a sport in which income can instantly disappear with an injury, or increasingly, a behind-the-scenes impasse that owes more to the entertainment demands of a promotion than the competitive ones of the sport.

Many want to change that, which is why a recent proliferation of groups has put the issue of collective bargaining back in the spotlight. When Krause spoke to MMAjunkie Radio, the MMA Athletes Association had just announced its goal to gather UFC athletes to negotiate a collective-bargaining agreement with the industry-leader while also demanding a monetary settlement and greater revenue-sharing.

It was subsequently revealed the association had clashed with class-action litigators currently suing the UFC for anticompetitive practices. They accused the group of trying to undercut efforts to collect monetary damages from a class-action lawsuit.

From a fighter’s perspective, Krause can understand why they want a bigger share of the money from the promotion. But he also sees the other side. A promoter of a regional MMA show, he knows on a smaller level what it costs to put on fights.

“At the end of the day, the promotion’s job is to make money, and the sooner the fighters realize – this is not the fight game; this is the sports entertainment game, the money game – the sooner everybody will be better off,” he said. “I get it. I’m not mad at them. I understand that.

“That being said, I’m not going to be the guy that’s a pawn in a game of chess. I’m playing my own game, and I’m looking out for my best interests, and that’s why I have a good manager that looks out for my best interests.”

In other words, as much as he cares about the sport as a whole, the business of being a fighter ultimately comes down to individual career decisions. He’s managed to make some good ones, which allows him to hedge against a certain level of uncertainty. He doesn’t like the fact that others don’t have that, and he wants to see things change. He just doesn’t see that happening any time soon.

“When I hear stories about the big guys going and leaving $50,000 and $100,000 tips at blackjack tables, that kind of pisses me off,” Krause said. “(The UFC has) done small, incremental steps to make the process better. I think we’re a ways from being where we need to be.

“I do think it’s eventually going to happen – just not any time in my fight life.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.