It was recently announced that the UFC had applied as a co-promoter for the upcoming super fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
Bob Bennett is the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) Executive Director and he says it’s McGregor having to get paid that got the UFC a co-promotion on the card.
“Floyd can’t pay his opponent,” Bennett said on The MMA Hour. “The UFC is a co-promoter, because they’ll be paying Conor. Otherwise it would have been a conflict of interest — an opponent paying the other opponent.”
Here is the official NAC rule from the rule book about fighter payouts:
NAC 467.112 Bout agreement between promoter and unarmed combatant: Form; prohibited provision. (NRS 467.030, 467.120)
1. The bout agreement between a promoter and an unarmed combatant must be executed on a form provided by the Commission.
2. A bout agreement which provides that an unarmed combatant is to pay for the services of his or her opponent is prohibited.
[Athletic Comm’n, § 86, eff. 4-25-78] — (NAC A 12-13-82; 11-2-88; 12-2-97; R058-05, 12-29-2005)
Bennett also wants to make it clear that it doesn’t matter that the UFC is an MMA organization, as long as they have a promoter's license.
“They’re (the UFC) a promoter on record,” Bennett said. “Our promoters license doesn’t state whether you have to be a boxing promoter or an MMA promoter.”
Conor McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather takes place on Saturday, August 26 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
