Let the games begin.

Why do people insist on comparing their perceived injustices to slavery? I have heard Obamacare being compared to slavery. I even read that Louis Farrakhan compare the NBA to modern slavery.  Hell, in a recent conversation I had, someone compared the NFL Combine to slavery. *end of rant*

Which brings me to Georges St-Pierre. The greatest Welterweight fighter of all time, and one of the greatest fighters to ever live, recently stated on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour that his lawyers terminated his contract due to a hidden loophole.

Basically, the UFC had 10 days to offer GSP a fight and they casually mentioned a fight with Robbie Lawler, which was not an official fight offer. If this holds up, this bombshell makes GSP one of the most coveted free agents in UFC history. And with Bellator MMA currently poaching the UFC’s stars, Ben Henderson, Rory McDonald, Chael Sonnen, etc, the watch is on!

While we are not yet at DEFCON 1 in this battle between GSP and the UFC, it looks like we are headed in that direction.

Shaun Al-Shatti, of MMAFighting.com, interviewed James Quinn, GSP’s super lawyer, commenting on the UFC contract, “I’ve done a lot of work in sports. When I read that contract, I was blown away by how restrictive it is,”. Okay, so this is not the first time someone had a disparaging comment about the UFC contract. Quite frankly, these comments are the general consesus feeling of the way the UFC treats its fighters.

The UFC’s really bad Reebok deal also plays a huge part in this fiasco as well since GSP has a lucrative sponsorship deal with Under Armour. Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report wrote an excellent piece on the intricacies of the UFC contract. And if you do not have any of your fancy lawyer friends present, he has some of his fancy lawyer friends explain the all of the fancy lawyer/contract talk!

Which brings me to my next point…

Homie compared being a UFC fighter to modern slavery.

?????????????

Yeah, not a good look.

“You couldn’t get away with any old contract in any of the other sports,” Quinn said. “There is litigation in that aspect of a class-action lawsuit that challenges the contract as being illegal under the NHS laws. That case is ongoing, and I think that under the law’s terms, I don’t think the contract — that formal contract — is likely to stand up. Not in today’s world. It’s a pretty nice form of slavery.”

While he has valid points, about 80 percent of these contract disputes are about public perception. Getting the UFC fans on your side is extremely crucial…and this does not help.

With that said, the UFC has an event coming up in Toronto, UFC 206 featuring the Light Heavyweight Champ, Daniel Cormier, and resident face crusher, Anthony Johnson, and fans are starting to recognize that this battle with the UFC will be a long one:

Let the games begin. But………..

Can I make a suggestion? How about we not compare anything to slavery?