Once considered a sideshow, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is now one of the world’s most popular sporting organizations. Today, the UFC rakes in hundreds of millions yearly and hosts events at some of the largest venues in the world. But former and current fighters allege they have been vastly underpaid for years, held to predatory contracts, and trapped in a monopoly controlled by the UFC. A labor battle is now brewing in one of the least likely arenas.

This episode was reported and produced by Sam Eagan and Adizah Eghan. 

VICE News Reports is hosted by Arielle Duhaime-Ross and produced by Jesse Alejandro Cottrell, Sophie Kazis, Jen Kinney, Janice Llamoca, Julia Nutter, and Sayre Quevedo. Our senior producers are Ashley Cleek, Adizah Eghan, and Sam Greenspan. Our associate producers are Steph Brown, Sam Eagan, and Adreanna Rodriguez. Sound design and music composition by Steve Bone, Pran Bandi, Natasha Jacobs and Kyle Murdock. 

Our executive producer and VP of Vice Audio is Kate Osborn. Janet Lee is Senior Production Manager for VICE Audio.

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