William Tackett is advocating for exclusive contracts in professional grappling, offering a perspective that stands in stark contrast to recent criticisms from fellow athlete Craig Jones regarding the direction of the sport.
“For us, we’re looking to try to participate in something like that, something that’s going to give us like long-term relationship with a company,” Tackett explained in his video, highlighting his belief in the potential benefits of dedicated promotional partnerships. His stance particularly focuses on established organizations like the UFC and ONE Championship, which he sees as having the necessary infrastructure to elevate competitive grappling.
Tackett’s endorsement comes at a time when the grappling community is deeply divided over the role of exclusive contracts. While Craig Jones has recently cautioned athletes about the potential pitfalls of such agreements, urging them to “read your contracts” and maintain their independence, Tackett sees these organizational relationships as crucial for the sport’s evolution.
“The UFC knows how to make money, they know how to make a sport big. What did they do for MMA? They took MMA from a small little sport and they blew it up,” Tackett noted, drawing parallels to MMA’s successful growth model. His perspective suggests that the financial backing and promotional expertise of major organizations could provide the stability needed for athletes to build sustainable careers.
This viewpoint notably contrasts with Jones’s recent warnings about the dangers of monopolization in the sport. Jones had specifically cautioned against allowing “sporting organizations to step into our sport after viewing the success of CJI and seek to monopolize it by locking everyone down into exclusive contracts and putting it behind a paywall.”
The UFC has maintained significant control over professional MMA through several key strategies that have drawn scrutiny from athletes and analysts alike. The promotion established market dominance by acquiring competing organizations like PRIDE, WFA, and Strikeforce, effectively consolidating much of the sport’s top talent under one banner. Through exclusive contracts and champion clauses, the UFC has been able to retain stars while maintaining athlete compensation at approximately 19-20% of revenue – a figure that stands in stark contrast to other major sports leagues where athletes typically receive 48-50% of revenue share. This disparity became particularly evident after Endeavor’s acquisition, where financial disclosures revealed significant dividend payments to shareholders while pay remained relatively stagnant.
For context, while the UFC’s reported revenue grew from approximately $600 million in 2016 to over $1 billion by 2022, the proportion allocated to compensation remained largely unchanged. The promotion’s ability to maintain this compensation structure has been aided by its market position and contractual frameworks, leading to ongoing debates about labor practices in the sport and multiple attempts at collective action by stars, including a class-action antitrust lawsuit.
However, Tackett maintains that the benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks. “Even though we’ve seen some people on social media preaching against exclusivity, I think exclusivity is the next step to make the sport big,” he stated. His vision includes smaller promotions potentially serving as developmental grounds for larger organizations, mirroring the current structure in professional MMA.
The debate reflects a broader discussion about the future of professional grappling. While Jones advocates for maintaining independence and negotiating flexible terms that allow athletes to participate in various events, Tackett sees the structured approach of exclusive contracts as a pathway to greater stability and higher compensation for competitors.
As grappling continues its evolution as a professional sport, 2025 appears to be a pivotal year where these contrasting philosophies will be tested.
