CSAC moving forward on adding MMA fighters to pension fund

The California State Athletic Commission has formed a subcommittee to add MMA fighters into the state’s retirement pension plan for boxers.

The subcommittee is set to review several suggestions made by Andy Foster, CSAC Executive Director, at Tuesday’s meeting in Los Angeles. These proposals concern the eligibility criteria for MMA fighters and how to increase revenue for the program. This includes ways to generate additional revenue from the investment account that receives money from ticket sales taxes. After they have turned 50, boxers can schedule 75 rounds within the state.

The commission needs to convince California legislators to sponsor and pass a bill to add MMA fighters to the pension. Foster stated that the commission would only have one chance to present it in the next legislative session.

“I have a feeling that if they fought here they’d be eligible for a pension,” Foster said. It might be more attractive for fighters to come here .”

To make the pension fund more attractive to MMA fighters, Foster recommends lowering the number of scheduled bouts to qualify for it by scheduling 36 rounds, or between 10 and 12 fights, so they are more likely to qualify for money at retirement. The fighter is given credit for all rounds of the fight regardless of whether they have been completed. For example, if the fight finishes in round one of a three-round bout, the fighter gets credit for three rounds. )

Foster said boxers represent 65 percent of licensed combatants in California to 35 percent MMA fighters. He said the funds distributed to retired fighters would reflect that split.

Currently, the pension is primarily funded by tax of 88 cents per ticket sold that’s capped at $4,600 per event. Foster suggests raising this cap in order to take advantage of deep-pocketed promotions. The CSAC executive Director also plans to establish a special license plate bearing CSAC branding. This will place $40 into the pension fund for each plate that is sold. For the full amount of funding — estimated at between $250,000 and $300,000 — to go into the fund, 7,500 plates need to be sold within a year, Foster said.

With a long pause on live events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the commission lost a sizable amount of the revenue for the pension. Foster believes the raised cap and license plates will give the program a boost.

New CSAC commissioner AnnMaria De Mars, the mother of former UFC champ Ronda Rousey, volunteered to be on the subcommittee, noting Nick and Nate Diaz would be ideal targets for the pension. Nick Diaz would be able to qualify for the pension with 12 California fights, while Nate would have eight fights.