Not every fighter is as lucky, or to be a bit more literal, as talented on the mic and inside the cage as Conor McGregor. So, they often fail to make it to promotions like the UFC, spending most of their careers fighting under small promotions. These bouts don’t make the life-changing sort of money that popular names in the sport have. Thus, making a living and life after retirement become tragically difficult.

So, back in 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a retirement fund for MMA fighters. The fund matures and pays out money to fighters at the age of 50 who have accumulated a certain number of rounds in California. And now, CSAC executive director Andy Foster is introducing a bill that will feed even more money into the fund. And some ex-UFC fighters are supporting the bill, while revealing the financial reality of MMA fighters. 

“There are a lot of fighters who don’t make very much money,” Foster told MMA Fighting. “I think that’s fair to say that. We passed a minimum purse two or three years ago here in California because people weren’t making the minimum purse. There are going to be quite a few fighters who are going to receive more money if this passes at age 50 than they did their entire career combined.

“It’s because the top guys pull up the bottom guys, as they should, but if this passes and does the numbers that I think it’s going to do, a fighter could potentially, at age 50, [make] somewhere between $150,000 to $300,000. Those are different numbers, and that’s enough money [for] a fighter [to] take that and put a down payment on a house, or they could go back to college. There [are] things you can do with that much money.”

The proposed bill will allow CSAC to sell sponsorships by placing logos on jerseys and uniforms of referees, judges, and other officials working at an event. The money earned from these sponsorship deals will be sent to the retirement funds for the fighters after their careers come to an end. As of the time of writing, the bill is currently working its way through the California legislature. 

In the meantime, though, MMA veteran Chris Leben, who spent eight years in the UFC, knows exactly the tough times fighters have to go through. So, he has voiced his support for the bill. 

“I work seven days a week,” Leben said. “I’m in my gym right now in between classes, and when I’m not here, I’m refereeing or judging a show. That’s so I can pay rent. That’s the truth. That’s what a lifetime of fighting in the UFC got me. I’m better off than most, to be 100% honest with you. A lot of the guys that I came up with aren’t in the best shape, not in the best spot. There’s nobody there to take care of them.

“My body has certainly paid for it. I’m blessed that I’m a referee and a judge, and I have a gym where I coach. Because if I had to go work construction, which is what a lot of guys do, I’d be in a lot of pain all day long. That’s for sure.”

The requirement to receive a payout from the fund requires a fighter to have 39 rounds spent fighting in California. Despite the generous cause, there has been some resistance to the bill, according to Foster. He feels the reason behind the resistance is that an organization like CSAC is brokering deals with private companies for the sponsorships. However, Foster claims he has seen several other sports leagues do the same thing. 

He feels putting logos on jerseys and uniforms of the officials at an event will only help them keep up with everyone else. While he doesn’t know what the other leagues do with the money, Foster claims CSAC will use the money to benefit unknown fighters whom no one is trying to help. And that’s the reason Leben isn’t the only former UFC star to have shown his support for the bill.

Frank Trigg explains how the new bill will help nameless fighters

Fighters like Conor McGregor don’t fight in California continuously. They travel the world, fighting across different regions. So, it won’t be the financially well-off fighters who benefit from the fund, according to veteran Frank Trigg. Instead, the fund helps nameless fighters who fight in California their whole lives and fail to make it to a promotion like the UFC. And helping the fund make more money through the new bill only benefits those unknown fighters more. 

“Everyone is looking at this bill from a standpoint of ‘we’re going to give Jon Jones or a Conor McGregor extra money when they don’t need extra money.’ This does not do that,” Trigg said. “This bill is going to help outvesting the fighters fighting in California. For those of you [who] are old heads, the guys that fought in the WEC that never got a shot in the UFC. If there was a bill back then, they’d have a way to provide for themselves now to put a down payment on a house. It’s not going to help out the top three percent fighting in the big leagues because they’re traveling around the world.

“It’s the local promoters in California, the local shows in California that really build up. California, by far, puts on the most fights of any jurisdiction; that is the reality. You understand [that] in combative sports in California, because of the volume that happens there, there are a lot of fighters [who] could benefit if it [were] allowed. It doesn’t help the guy that’s making $3 million, $4 million, $5 million every time he fights. It’s going to help that guy [who’s] making $1,500, $3,000, under $20,000 to get his head kicked in. This bill is going to help them years later.”

Trigg, who will be working during Saturday night’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight alongside Leben, feels concerned that the bill is being looked down upon in the state assembly and hopes fighters receive a pension unlike him and Leben. 

Despite these arguments about the bill, only time will tell whether the bill is actually passed. And if it does, referees in the UFC and other officials in California could be seen sporting new jerseys.