A Union for Fighters is Inevitable - Kevin Lee

What do you think about the idea of a union? I mean, I think it's inevitable. Do you think so? Yeah, I think eventually it's going to happen. How would it happen? I think it's once the UFC, the UFC is going to change a little bit. I feel like it's just the same way that I'm kind of looking at the way that Facebook has been doing stuff and all these other companies, like these large private companies, but they're so big. The UFC is a sports organization, you know what I mean? But it's so big now to where it's damn near a sport. It's damn near public. So I think once that kind of changes and people like, once they open up the books and people really start to pay attention to it, then maybe somebody on the outside who's way smarter than any one of us, because we're fighting. We ain't really worried about the legalities of it. And I'm just signing a contract. I don't really give a fuck. But once somebody who's smarter kind of takes a look at it and see what's going on and how it is, then they're going to start up something. I mean, they have to. I wonder. I think it would take some sort of crazy lawsuit, I would imagine. But I think that fighters are individuals and that they think of themselves. And then if you say, hey, I'm going to join the union. If you say, hey, I'm going to join the union, I'm going to sit out until you guys meet the demands of the union and they go, oh, that's great. Colby Covington is going to take your place. Now he's going to fight for the title. And then you're like, what the fuck? And then you call Dana. Hey, man, I changed my mind. Fuck that union. I'm with you guys. And that's how it goes. I mean, yeah. But it's kind of a shame on our part almost. It's like it's the same way as I said, let's meet at 165. It's like we already don't have a lot of leverage, bro. Like we, you know, yeah, there's only so many things that we could even do. I understand those Sanjos though. He's like, fuck, we're going to fight anyway. I don't want to cut that extra five pounds. I didn't do it either. I'm like, bro, I'm already, you know, you've already fought at 170. I'm already taking a loss here. I'm like, I'm not going to, you know, give you too many advantages here. But but do you have seed that you feel like they treat you well? Yeah, I mean, like you, obviously, you have good. You're in their good graces. Yeah, I honestly, I have no real like complaints about it. You know, it's I know what I'm, I'm signing a line, you know what I mean? I know what I'm signing up for. Anytime I do and I say I'm going to do something, I'm always going to make sure I hold up my end and I'm going to do it. And it's afforded me so much to where my life is so much different than I thought it would be. Like I truly thought that that everything would just look different, you know, and have provided a better life for my family, like my mom, my dad and my brothers, like, well, my one brother at least. But, you know, it's just afforded me so much that any like negatives on it, like I can't really, it's just like grievances almost. Yeah, no, I understand. I understand what you're saying. Have you ever been approached by other organizations? Before getting into the UFC. Yeah. And then I mean, maybe a little bit here and there, but, you know, like when you see guys like Sage Northcutt go over to one FC and Eddie Alvarez and Mighty Mouse Johnson. I mean, it's all good for the sport in general. You know, I think even the UFC sees that like competition is always good. You know, it's just it's just building even more and bigger and better. And it's really the sport that we're looking after. So if I mean, I'm been in a contract with the UFC for a long while now. But, you know, if another organization was to ever, you never know what the, you know, I never know what the future goal. Like what if Bellator really blows up? Change the name. I mean, no, I. That name's a goddamn anchor. Yes, it's true. Bellator. Yeah. What does that mean? Yeah. Kind of. You got a bowling ball, metal bowling ball around your neck. Yeah, kind of. I mean, I don't know. For me, I'm getting that. UFC is where it's at. And you don't want it to be too many organizations either. You know what I mean? Right. Then it's like WBCWBA with boxing. Yeah. Come fight. It's like, that's terrible. That's why. Yeah. Well, that's a problem. I don't want to be a part of that, you know. That's kind of a problem now. I mean, with Douglas Lima, Douglas Lima is world class fighter, you know, Rory McDonald's world class fighter. These guys are world champion caliber. Rory McDonald could absolutely be a world champion in the UFC. Me, be, be Tyron Woodley. Yeah. I mean, I think I want to be a part of keeping it all together too. You know what I mean? I'm not going to be selfish and be like, oh, well, one's going to pay me way more money. So I'm going to go over there and do that. Like I'm a huge fan of the sport in general too. So I want to see the sport do good and having us all under one roof definitely does help. It's also being a UFC champion just fucking means more. Way more. It just means way more. Way more. And I'm going to do it. Yeah. You find out a guy's a Bellator champion. You're like, congratulations. Yeah. Yeah. I find out a guy's UFC champion like, oh, shit. Yeah. Yeah. That's a different level. And I would even want to keep that integrity about it, you know, and just for myself, you know what I mean? To, you know, just to know that that's what you did. You say you're going to do it like that's what you did. So I think there's a wake up call though, when guys are going over and fighting in these other organizations, they're realizing now like, man, they are world class fighters that you don't know about over in one FC in particular, like Timothy Natsiuken, the guy that knocked out Eddie Alvarez, that motherfuckers world class. Well, there's more class fighters everywhere, bro. Yep. Everywhere. You got to treat everybody with the same, you know, It's a different world. Yeah. It's different, but it's still like, dude to knock you out. Oh, yeah. I mean, it's a different world. Now I'm saying that like, you go to these other organizations, it's not a cakewalk. Yeah. They're, they're just as hard and just as dangerous as UFC fighters.