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Stockton’s Nate Diaz was one of many fighters who competed in California for Netflix’s debut MMA card.<\/p>\n
(Harry How via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a slow go right now,\u201d Foster said of the MMA side of the pension fund. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s money, but it\u2019s only from ticket sales. It takes a long time when it\u2019s just ticket revenue going into the fund. We\u2019re trying to find new revenue streams to increase the pensions for the fighters, and the license plates are a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In order for the state to begin producing the plates, Foster said, he needs at least 7,500 orders in the first year. If he fails to hit that mark, he added, he can apply for an extension. But once at least 7,500 California drivers reserve a plate, these specialty plates will go into production and the money will begin flowing into the fund. (The cost of the plates begins at $50 and goes up to $103, depending on the type of vehicle and license plate. There are currently more than 36 million registered vehicles in the state of California.)<\/p>\n
Foster is also working on a plan that would allow the commission to sell sponsorships, including logos on referees and other officials, with the revenue going to the fund. That effort got stuck in committee in the state legislature, Foster said, meaning it\u2019s \u201cessentially dead\u201d for the year. He plans to renew those efforts soon, however, as part of the overall goal of increasing the number of revenue streams for the fund.<\/p>\n
The California pension program is currently the only one of its kind for pro fighters. The question is, why? One state can only do so much in a sport where events travel all over the country and the world. Why haven\u2019t other athletic commissions followed California\u2019s example?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Foster said. \u201cIt\u2019s just easier not to, I guess. Nobody\u2019s making you do it. But I also think that somebody\u2019s got to do it first. If we\u2019re successful, I think other [state athletic commissions] will do it. But California has long led the country in things it does first, and we\u2019re doing this first as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Uncrowned reached out to Jeff Mullen, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, who said his state currently has no plans to create its own pension fund for retired fighters. But, Mullen added, \u201cI think it\u2019s a great idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, the fund has paid out more than $4 million to boxers since 1999, with almost $400,000 paid out in 2022. Boxers can become eligible for the fund by fighting at least 10 rounds per year for at least four years in California, with no more than a three-year break, and by fighting at least 75 total professional scheduled rounds in California, with no more than a three-year break.<\/p>\n
Fighters are only eligible to receive payments after they turn 50 years old, but they do have the option to convert their pension funds into an educational fund once they hit 36 years old. If a fighter dies before receiving funds, that fighter\u2019s beneficiaries can request their pension funds.<\/p>\n
Since the fund only takes into account fights that take place in the state of California, it leaves a lot of fighters out of the eligibility range. While the state does play host to a wide range of MMA events, there are UFC champions who might go their entire careers without ever fighting in California.<\/p>\n
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