Anthony Smith unloads on athletic commissions: “I think they are worthless”
Anthony Smith is a veteran in mixed martial arts and has fought all around the world, meaning he’s dealt with a lot of athletic commissions throughout his career, and he’s not a fan. In light of the news that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will no longer disclose fighters’ purses for events, Smith took aim at athletic commissions, acknowledging that decisions like these only hurt fighters in the long run.
During his weekly radio show ‘MMA Tonight’ on Sirius XM, Smith discussed how in the past fighters didn’t necessarily want fans to know how much they made, but nowadays knowing what other fighters are making could be beneficial in the negotiation process.
🔊 @lionheartasmith reacts to the news that the NSAC will no longer release fighter purses, and says that athletic commissions are not the fiduciaries of fighters that they claim to be. 🚨 @RJcliffordMMA pic.twitter.com/XxpJgpz604
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) July 21, 2020
“It used to be like ‘I don’t want fans knowing how much money I make,’ Smith said. “Number one, half the time those reports come out they’re almost always wrong. A lot of times they’re like two or three contracts behind which I don’t mind because people don’t actually know but if we all know what each other makes that gives us power in our negotiating. Like ‘I beat so and so, he beat this person, I’m here in the rankings, this guy made this much money…’ and you can kind of use it. I guess that kind of gets taken away a little bit but like mine isn’t correct. That’s just what’s on the bout agreement, that’s what they’re showing. That’s what they’re [commissions] showing, what’s on the bout agreement, fortunately they’re not showing our contracts.”
Smith would continue on to take aim at the commissions, reiterating that he has long been against the athletic commissions.
“I’ve been saying that commissions are useless for a long time. We hate you, as fighters. We can’t stand being around you. They think that their job is this super important position and that they’re these fiduciaries for the fighters and they’re not. We look at you like the police, I will avoid you and that’s why we don’t like you. It’s like every commission is looking for a reason to punish a fighter or pull them for a fight, that’s why we don’t like you, you guys get in the way.”
As for the move by the NSAC to stop disclosing fighters’ purses, Smith says it doesn’t make any sense to him at all.
“I don’t understand this move as far as, if you’re not releasing information and we as fighters don’t like you, and you don’t actually do anything to look over the fighters or keep the UFC accountable or whatever, what do you actually do? I just went on a rant, I don’t even know if that had s**t to do with purses, but I hate the athletic commissions, I think they’re worthless.”
After taking a tough loss to Glover Teixeira in May, Anthony Smith is scheduled to return to the Octagon to face Aleksandar Rakic on August 29.
