'With every change comes trade-offs': Ted Cruz pushes new Muhammad Ali Act in hopes of unifying boxing



Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) is hoping a unified approach to boxing organizations will return the sport to the time when it was a source of national pride and childhood heroes.

Cruz recently championed the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026, an add-on to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000.

'We need more predictable pathways for matchmaking.'

Sponsored by Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), the bill's goal is to strengthen organizations' ability to hold on to fighters, while establishing unified rules and medical procedures, including anti-doping programs.

The legislation — which passed through the House in March — demands that unified boxing organizations must implement drug testing programs, provide supplemental physicals for fighters over 40 years old, ensure that at least two ambulances are on site for matches, and allow boxers access to equipment and facilities fully operated by the UBO.

Effectively, if the legislation passes, it will allow boxing organizations to create fight leagues similar to those of other professional organizations, in which a boxer is locked in with regard to exclusivity and promotional rights.

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, on the other hand, limited promotional contracts to 12 months and prevented organizations from being able to force boxers into granting future promotional rights as a condition for a mandatory title fight.

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, which included support for and dissent from the new act and featured some of the biggest names in the sport.

RELATED: 'More jobs for humans': Tyson Fury condemns 'all computers' after hearing results of AI-generated scorecard

Opposing the new rules was 11-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya. The boxing legend directly criticized noted adversary and UFC President Dana White, saying that White's Zuffa Boxing organization would likely be a beneficiary of the new rules. De La Hoya complained that Zuffa is "fully funded by Saudi Arabia" and claimed that such funding "reshaped another sport," referring to LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed competitor to the PGA Tour.

The former boxer said LIV Golf potentially losing Saudi backing should "serve as a warning" for American boxing. However, it should be noted that De Le Hoya accepted a $10 million purchase of boxing publication Ring magazine by a Saudi Arabian who invests in Zuffa Boxing.

De Le Hoya said in March that he now regrets the sale.

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's grandson, also spoke in opposition to the legislation, saying that "the people controlling fighters should not also control the entire marketplace those fighters depend on."

Walsh claimed the new bill, in its current form, should not have his grandfather's name on it. According to Boxing Insider, he also cited Ali's history of speaking against the government and said that "silence is part of the system."

By contrast, Cruz praised the previous act but claimed that it was time for change.

The previous act was "meant to set basic guardrails without remaking the sport from Washington," Cruz said, "but with every change comes trade-offs."

"We need more predictable pathways for matchmaking and simplified rankings. I believe allowing for a more unified structure to take hold could help the sport compete more effectively against other combat sport competitors," he added.

Nick Khan, president of the WWE and executive at Zuffa Boxing, made the case that the new rules create a framework that "can do what major sports do — promote competition, develop talent, and enforce consistent standards under one roof."

RELATED: Whitlock: Is ‘Money’ Mayweather out of money? Boxing legend re-enters ring at 49 because he’s been ‘living for the culture.’

Two of the biggest contentions to major fight organizations unifying in this manner have been fighter pay and health insurance. The legislation attempts to address these issues with insurance that covers fighters during their training period while simultaneously raising boxer minimum pay.

For example, according to Boxing Scene, California has a $100-per-round minimum pay, whereas the new legislation doubles that to $200 per round while guaranteeing a fight every six months.

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Whitlock: Is ‘Money’ Mayweather out of money? Boxing legend re-enters ring at 49 because he’s been ‘living for the culture.’



Legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather, 49, is set to come out of retirement and re-enter the professional ring after a bout against Mike Tyson this spring. According to his official statement, he “still [has] what it takes to set more records,” but in the sports media world, rumors are swirling that “Money” Mayweather is actually just broke.

“All across social media, there are rumors and stories coming out about Floyd Mayweather — him auctioning off property, him being in bankruptcy, him being out of money, and that’s why he’s going to fight Mike Tyson,” BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock says.

He displays a tweet from Richard Allison that captures the wildest claims about Mayweather’s lavish spending habits:

“He’s blown it all. And now at 49 years old, he’s got to go back into the boxing ring and continue to fight because he’s in a lot of debt,” Whitlock says.

There’s a way to enjoy the fruit of one’s labor without allowing it to consume you, he argues, pointing to basketball GOAT Michael Jordan as the best example.

“Michael Jordan didn’t want to be relatable; [he] wanted to be helpful and have a good time. You can do both. Michael Jordan has played golf everywhere; he’s gambled everywhere, but he’s also taken time to be helpful,” Whitlock says, pointing to the four family medical clinics Jordan has opened in North Carolina specifically for uninsured or underinsured patients.

Mayweather, on the other hand, has only been “living for the culture,” he says.

“The culture doesn’t reward anybody. It steals and destroys. ... Don’t be Floyd Mayweather.”

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Floyd Mayweather, 48, unretires to ‘set more records’ — but Jason Whitlock smells a desperate cash grab



On February 20, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather sent shock waves through the sports world when he announced that after eight years, he’s coming out of retirement.

Set to resume professional fights after his upcoming spring 2026 exhibition bout with Mike Tyson, Mayweather declared in a written statement to ESPN, “I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing.”

But some are arguing that there’s an underlying reason for the 48-year-old’s sudden exodus from retirement — and it has nothing to do with setting records.

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock plays a recent clip from Shannon Sharpe and Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson’s podcast “Nightcap,” during which the ex-NFL duo speculated that the real reason Mayweather is re-entering the ring is for financial reasons.

“Only three fights that Floyd can have that can command and get the kind of money he's looking to recoup for money that may have been lost or money that may have been stolen or money he may have spent, you know, to date,” said Ochocinco, naming rematches with Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao, plus a showdown against current champion Terence "Bud" Crawford, as the only matchups capable of delivering that kind of payday.

Whitlock agrees: “Guy's got a gambling problem. Of course his situation's unstable. I mean, this is about as predictable as anything I could imagine,” he laughs.

“Yeah, it's for the money. If you just google Floyd's name and the IRS — all the news is out there. He owes jewelers money. There's back paid rent for real estate in New York. It's clear that he is now part of the no money team, which is very ironic,” adds “Fearless” contributor Steve Kim.

“The challenge for Floyd, and it's a challenge with a lot of young black men who become famous, is that he made a brand out of, ‘Let me show you what I have,”’ says fellow contributor Dre Baldwin.

If it’s true that Mayweather’s motivation is primarily financial, the “sad” part, Baldwin says, is that we will likely have to watch him “get destroyed and destroy the image that we have of [him].”

But Whitlock doesn’t understand why coming out of retirement is Mayweather’s choice of path when he could surely earn income in other ways. “Why not just start a podcast? Isn't this what all the former NFL and basketball players do?” he asks.

Baldwin lays it bare: “Can't make $200 million in one night with a podcast.”

“I took the liberty of doing a cursory Google search while you guys were talking. Estimates are 1.1 to 1.52 ... billion with a B that Floyd Mayweather has made throughout his career ... and he's completely broke,” says contributor Jay Skapinac.

“Of all the idiots that we've seen out there — celebrities, actors, entertainers that have lost a lot of money — this guy would take the cake. To blow a bill before he even hits 50 is unimaginable,” he scoffs.

To hear more of the panel’s conversation, watch the video above.

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Olympic boxer Imane Khelif admits to having male genes, but sends message to Trump: 'I'm not trans'



Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has added yet another twist to the story of men competing in women's sports.

After dominating women in the 66kg competition at the Paris Olympics in 2024, Khelif was reported by four different sources to be a male.

'He cannot twist the truth. I'm not trans; I'm a girl. I was raised as a girl.'

Last year, World Athletics announced it would introduce mandatory gene testing for athletes wanting to compete in the women's category, particularly for the SRY gene. That gene is found on the Y chromosome, which only men have.

After more than a year of denying being a male, Khelif has admitted to having the SRY gene, but still claims to be a female. Khelif also maintains an openness to testing.

French outlet L'Équipe asked Khelif about having a "a female phenotype" while still having "the SRY gene," to which Khelif replied, "Yes, and it's natural. I have female hormones. And people don't know it, but I've already lowered my testosterone levels for competitions."

"I am surrounded by doctors, a professor follows me, and I have taken hormonal treatments to lower my testosterone levels," the boxer explained. "For the qualifying tournament for the Paris Games, which took place in Dakar, I lowered my testosterone levels to zero. And I won the gold medal there."

The outlet noted that the average levels for women are between 0.3 and 3 nanomoles of testosterone per liters of blood. If Khelif is being accurate, there would likely be a significant number of health effects related to lowering testosterone levels close to zero. This would include low bone health and depleted energy levels.

RELATED: Imane Khelif appeals boxing ban with ridiculous request for gender testing

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Khelif was persistent throughout the interview, saying, "We all have different genetics; we all have different hormone levels. I am not a transsexual. My difference is natural. I am like that. I have done nothing to change the way nature has made me."

"That's why I'm not afraid," the gold medalist went on. "For the next Games, if you have to take a test, I will submit to it. I have no problem with that. I have already done this test. I contacted World Boxing, sent them my medical records, my hormone tests, everything. But I got no response. I don't hide; I don't refuse tests. What I don't understand is why people want to exaggerate my story so much."

The aforementioned reports regarding Khelif's sex have all shown the boxer to be a male with XY chromosomes. This includes tests by the International Boxing Association, the World Boxing Organization, and other endocrinological experts.

3 Wire Sports reported that the athlete's alleged medical condition is formally described as 5-alpha reductase type-2 deficiency. The report said Khelif has XY chromosomes, internal testes, and a "micropenis."

Moving forward, both World Athletics and the WBO will begin testing for the SRY gene.

However, there does exist a possible, very rare way for a person to have female chromosomes (XX) while still having the SRY gene; this is referred to as 46,XX testicular difference of sex development.

This is a genetic abnormality in those with XX chromosomes who develop male sex characteristics, including testes, that may be small and undescended. This causes those who do not have a Y chromosome to develop male sex characteristics.

According to Medline Plus, this occurs "as a random event during the formation of sperm cells in the affected person's father. In this condition, the SRY gene (which is on the Y chromosome) is misplaced, almost always onto an X chromosome."

However, Khelif claims to have a female phenotype and to be a natural woman.

RELATED: Transgender boxer makes shocking return, brutally beats 19-year-old girl

Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Khelif was asked about participating in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and for thoughts on President Trump. Khelif said, "I don't mix sport with politics," before adding, "I respect everyone, and I respect Trump. Because he is the president of the United States."

However, Khelif still remained steadfast in a message to the president: "He cannot twist the truth. I'm not trans; I'm a girl. I was raised as a girl, I grew up as a girl, the people of my village always knew me as a girl. I respect him if he respects the truth."

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Transgender boxer makes shocking return, brutally beats 19-year-old girl



An Olympic gold medalist who failed gender testing has returned to competition for the first time.

Not to be confused with Algerian Olympic champion Imane Khelif — whose gender is confirmed to be male — Taiwan's Lin Yu‑ting also brutalized women at the Paris 2024 Olympics under tough scrutiny.

'Pan Yan-fei's coach threw in the towel.'

The boxer dominated the women's 57kg division last summer, despite having been disqualified by the International Boxing Association in 2023. That March, Lin was denied a bronze medal after failing to meet gender eligibility requirements. The IBA also disqualified Khelif from the same event, and the Algerian was later exposed as a male in three other reports.

Lin had not been seen in competition for over a year until his recent appearance at the Taiwan National Games. Reduxx reported that the competition does not have any known sex testing protocols in place, so the 30-year-old was allowed to compete in the women's 60kg category.

It did not take long for Lin to overwhelm an opponent, defeating 19-year-old female Pan Yan-fei in just one minute and 34 seconds. After repeated punches to the head, Pan's coach threw in the towel.

Pan was, "a little breathless because of being hit on the head," Taiwanese outlet CNA reported. "Then Pan Yan-fei’s coach threw in the towel and gave up the game."

If Lin wins the tournament, that would make six consecutive national titles for the controversial boxer.

The Trump Olympic ban

The controversy around Lin's gender is parallel to Khelif's, as the latter was proven by a multitude of sources to be, in fact, a male. However, less is known about Lin specifically, although it was discussed internally at the Olympics that the boxer had failed gender testing.

RELATED: Trump wins: US Olympic Committee bans men from women's sports

Photo by MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images

The Guardian reported at the time that the International Olympic Committee had prior knowledge that Lin was "stripped of her bronze medal after failing to meet eligibility requirements based on the results of a biochemical test," and noted such in its internal system.

This came after IBA president Umar Krevlev told Russian outlet TASS that both Lin and Khelif had "XY chromosomes."

While the IBA has faced criticism over its credibility, it was proven to be right about Khelif.

Still, neither boxer is likely to see the ring at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. New IOC president Kirsty Coventry and President Donald Trump have made it clear that males will not be beating up females in the United States.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced a rules update in July that stated it would "ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201."

Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, bans males from participating in "all-female athletic opportunities" or entering "all-female locker rooms."

After their Olympic performances, Lin and Khelif were not permitted to box in other competitions until Lin's latest appearance.

Khelif, though, has vowed to compete in the 2028 Olympics and even submitted an appeal to World Boxing after being booted from a Dutch event in June. The boxer asked to be declared "eligible to participate in the 2025 World Boxing Championships from 4 to 14 September," without having to submit to a genetic test.

The ban stood. Lin was also not permitted to compete at the world championships.

RELATED: New Olympic president strikes huge blow to transgender athletes ahead of 2028 games in LA

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Lin's latest opponent

Lin's opponent, Pan, was a young boxer who was making her first appearance at the senior national games after winning a national high school title in 2023.

She previously competed in Taiwan's under-22 category at 54-57kg.

Despite the brutal loss, event officials reportedly examined her after the fight, and she did not suffer any serious injuries. She was able to walk unaided and was described as stable.

Lin reportedly declined to be interviewed after the fight.

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Transgender boxer disappears as mandatory gender testing introduced worldwide



Infamous women's boxing champion Imane Khelif has reportedly cut off contact with the world of boxing at the same time gender testing is being implemented in international competitions.

Khelif won gold in women's 66kg boxing at the Paris Olympics in 2024 without losing a single round and, despite being born male, claimed for months that he is actually female.

Although three different reports said Khelif is a man, the claim did not stick until a fourth medical report leaked that revealed the Algerian has XY chromosomes.

'Currently, she has stopped everything.'

The International Boxing Association, the World Boxing Organization, and endocrinological experts all have independently determined that Khelif is a man.

Since the revelation, not only has newly appointed Olympic president Kirsty Coventry announced she would protect women's sports, but the WBO also introduced mandatory gender testing.

The WBO's new guidelines are the strongest rules against male cheating of any sports organization and plainly state that athletes must compete in the gender category that aligns with their sex at birth.

"All athletes over the age of 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) or a functional medical equivalent genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete," the document states.

At the same time, Khelif's former manager made a major announcement surrounding the not-so-female boxer's career.

RELATED: 'Male': Leaked medical report alleges women's boxing champ Imane Khelif has XY chromosomes

Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images

According to French outlet Nice-Matin, Khelif has left his boxing club in France and has not been seen in the ring for about 13 months.

"Currently, she has stopped everything," said Khelif's former manager, Nasser Yesfah. "She hasn't even started again. She doesn't box anymore. After what happened at the Olympics. ... In any case, she will be subjected to the same type of test if she becomes a professional."

Khelif has also ceased communications with his Nice, France, boxing gym, Nice Azur Boxe, and returned to Algeria.

"Overnight, she no longer gave any news to her club. It has become too [much] for a small structure like ours," the gym's founder, Tony Vivarelli, said according to a translation.

RELATED: New Olympic president strikes huge blow to transgender athletes ahead of 2028 games in LA

Angelika Krysztoforska. Photo by Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Former national gymnastics champion and women's sports activist Jennifer Sey told Blaze News she was thrilled to see the WBO take the lead on making competitions safe for women.

"It's simple. A basic, easy-to-administer test for sex. It's not invasive. And one test is all that is needed in an athlete's career," Sey said. "I look forward to the results of Imane Khelif's test."

Although Khelif appears to be missing from the boxing world, the athlete recently wrote that he still has the fire to compete. British outlet GBNews reported on a social media post from Khelif in which he said, "I'm going through a difficult phase filled with challenges, silence, and waiting... But despite everything, the spirit that fought for gold still beats within me."

The cross-dressing athlete included a photo of himself attempting to appear feminine.

"I am Imane Khelif — a champion yesterday, resilient today, and determined to return tomorrow," he reportedly wrote.

Khelif was set to defend his women's title at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands in June. But he ended up not beating up more women at the tournament because by then his chromosomal test had already been leaked.

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'Still the same male who stole a women's Olympic gold medal': Imane Khelif returning to women's boxing after gender dustup



Controversial boxer Imane Khelif will defend a 2024 Dutch boxing championship next month, returning to women's boxing for the first time since winning Olympic gold last summer in Paris.

At the Olympics, one female opponent of Khelif's forfeited, and another made a provocative gesture after it was revealed that Khelif was a male competing in the women's category. The International Boxing Association, the World Boxing Organization, and endocrinological experts all independently determined that Khelif is a man.

'Proud that Imane Khelif is there again to defend her title!'

The latter research group also revealed that Khelif had the "absence of a uterus" and the presence of "gonads in inguinal canals," meaning testicles in the abdomen.

Still, Khelif persisted with claims that he was being attacked due to simple hate and made vows to return to women's boxing. The athlete even dared President Donald Trump to try and bar him from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

RELATED: Imane Khelif dares Trump administration to stop him from defending gold medal at 2028 Olympics: 'I am not transgender'

Imane Khelif's (left) opponent Angela Carini (right) hangs her head after forfeiting at the Olympics. Photo by Fabio Bozzani/Anadolu via Getty Images

Khelif has since been announced as a participant in the eighth Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands, where he will defend his 2024 women's title. The organization announced the five-day boxing tournament on X and specifically celebrated Khelif's return. While the aforementioned X post was taken down, you can still view it here: "In 2 weeks the biggest boxing event in Europe in Eindhoven! Proud that Imane Khelif is there again to defend her title!"

Results from 2024's competition showed that Khelif defeated female boxers almost as easily as he did at the Olympics. Over three bouts, the Algerian dropped just one point out of a possible 15 — meaning a judge voted for an opponent of Khelif's only once.

At the Olympics, Khelif won all four bouts by unanimous decisions.

The boxer's return garnered disdain from NCAA championship swimmer and activist Riley Gaines, who called Khelif, "Still the same male who stole a women's Olympic gold medal."

RELATED: 'A lot of people say it's not happening!': A definitive list of men who have dominated women's sports

Imane Khelif of Team Algeria celebrates winning the Olympic gold medal in Women's 66kg boxing. Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Khelif, 26, last made public comments in March and was sticking to the idea that he always has been, and still is, a "girl."

"I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one," the boxer claimed.

The Eindhoven Box Cup runs from June 5 to June 10.

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Trump’s UFC Appearances Signal American Strength Is In Style

Donald Trump has never been a stranger to the world of professional sports — and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is no exception. For years, Trump has been throwing out first pitches and sitting courtside at Knicks games. Known for his golf game, he’s even something of an athlete himself. But over the past few years, […]

Jake Paul likely never fighting in MMA, says promotion that signed him: 'I think he's pretty set on boxing'



An executive from the Professional Fighters League said it is unlikely that boxing star Jake Paul will cross over into mixed martial arts.

Dan Hardy, PFL's director of fighter operations for Europe, directly contradicted the promotion's founder Donn Davis when he said he did not think Paul would make the jump to MMA.

In January, Davis said Paul's MMA career has been delayed "because he's killing it in boxing."

"So will MMA happen with the PFL? Yes, it will. Has it been delayed? Yes, it has. My guess is the fall of this year, but I don't think it's going to be before that," Davis added, per BJPenn.com.

Hardy, a former UFC fighter who joined the promotion at the executive level in 2023, spoke to outlet MMA Fighting and was asked if Paul's MMA debut had been put off so long that it seemed it was no longer going to happen.

"Yeah, I don't know. I'm not seeing him make any moves in that direction, certainly from my perspective," Hardy replied. "I mean, he just called out Anthony Joshua the other day did he not? He's certainly making things interesting for the combat sports world and he's definitely a disrupter. That’s the main purpose that he's serving right now, and he’s a benefit to the PFL in that regard as well."

Joshua is a highly respected English boxer with a 28-4 record. The 35-year-old last fought, and lost by knockout, in September 2024 to Daniel Dubois.

'Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so.'

Hardy then dropped a bomb that likely will not please his company's ownership.

"Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so," Hardy stated. "I think he's pretty set on boxing right now. I don't know, I don't know, it’s a lot of work for him to cross over into MMA. He's not going to fight anybody that you've ever heard of before, you know, it’s going to have to be a decent name or people won't watch it. Old guys in MMA could still handle business, I think, with Jake Paul."

Paul claimed last October that he would be entering the MMA arena following his fight with Mike Tyson.

Earlier in the summer, Paul expressed that he did not want an easy opponent for his first time in the cage and said he could likely "beat Nate Diaz."

Paul went on, "It would be tough, of course. It's a 50/50 fight, but I don't want to go into something where I'm going to be outclassed like fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in my first fight."

Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and retired undefeated at 29-0.

Diaz, 39, recently signaled he wanted to return to the UFC having last fought in 2022 when he beat UFC legend Tony Ferguson.

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Ex-UFC star says organization still unfairly pushes athletes to sign lifelong name, image, and likeness agreements



Former UFC welterweight Jon Fitch says the UFC still unfairly pushes its athletes to sign lifelong agreements to give up their name, image, and likeness rights.

In an interview with Blaze News, Fitch discussed a lawsuit against the UFC that he was involved with for years. His issues with the organization began all the way back in 2008, when the UFC dropped him for refusing to sign what he described as a lifetime contract for his likeness rights. The dispute famously took just 24 hours to resolve before Fitch was welcomed back into the promotion after agreeing to terms that would see him in a UFC video game.

'They wanted me to sign my image and likeness rights away for zero dollars.'

Fitch claimed these contracts still exist and that fighters are still signing away their likeness rights in perpetuity. Particularly, Fitch referred to UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champion Conor McGregor. Fitch said the UFC's consistent mentions of Jones as the greatest of all time and the organization persistently teasing McGregor's return both are efforts to capitalize on the fighters' likenesses.

"They own Jon Jones. They own him in a way that no one was ever able to own Muhammad Ali or Bruce Lee. Think about if a corporation or a film studio or Don King, like, one of Ali's promoters, owned everything about Ali," Fitch said, adding that the UFC "own[s] every fighter. That was my whole thing back then. ... They wanted me to sign my image and likeness rights away for zero dollars ... forever."

Fitch then referred to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000, which prohibits boxing promoters from requiring boxers to grant future promotional rights as a prerequisite for competing. This rule does not apply to mixed martial arts, however, which Fitch said often traps fighters into one promotion when their marketing value is at its highest.

The 47-year-old said he didn't ask for money during his original dispute; he simply wanted a 20-year sunset clause for his likeness rights, which means he would have been under contract to this day. He further claimed that the UFC used his situation to "scare everybody else into signing, and it worked."

The class-action lawsuit against the UFC, which lasted more than 10 years, claimed that the company suppressed fighter pay by using an anti-competitive scheme to shut out rivals. The UFC has declined to comment on the suit on many occasions (in particular to MMA fighting) and has simply said that it will "vigorously defend itself and its business practices."

In February, the UFC finally settled for a whopping $375 million.

Other outlets have reported that UFC contracts often include exclusive image and likeness rights as well as competitive restrictions.

At the same time, however, former fighters such as Demetrious Johnson have expressed gratitude over the extensive likeness rights. Johnson has praised payouts that he has received from UFC video games.

The UFC didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment on Fitch's claims.

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