ONE Championship's new mandatory Agent Cert Program

[The Sound of Violence]

"In a move that is certain to be met with its fair share of scrutiny, ONE Championship today announced that the promotion “has increased requirements and standards for the ONE Agent Certification program,” including a requirement that certified agents live in Asia for a minimum of one year.

“At ONE Championship, we are always upgrading and improving all of our systems and processes across the company to ensure a healthy ecosystem for all parties,” ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stated. “For as many decades as I can remember, agent and manager fraud has always been a big problem in Asia. ONE Championship aims to create a healthier, happier, and safer environment for our athletes both in and out of the arena.”

According to the announcement, “all Agents representing any ONE Championship athlete must be accredited with the ONE Agent Certification. ONE Championship reserves the right to revoke or deny the accreditation of any agent at its sole discretion.”

While the Singapore-based promotion’s listed qualifications and eligibility criteria have severable noble requirements, including “no prior criminal record” and “no history or current ongoing matters of legal or lawsuit activity with any athlete,” as well as a minimum of 10 years experience in the martial arts industry and a college or university degree, the residency requirement stands out as a potential issue for U.S.-based athletes and management groups.

That said, while not included in an official press release announcing the moves, Sityodtong stated on Facebook that “exceptions to the criteria will be made on a case-by-case basis.”

Also notable, Sityodtong recently drew attention to the November launch of ONE Elite Agency, a firm headed by ONE Championship owner and CEO Victor Cui that is designed as “an exclusive, invitation-only sports agency reserved for the top 10 percent of athletes in ONE Championship who show the biggest global hero promise in and out of the circle of competition.”

ONE Championship outlines mandatory Agent Certification program, including Asian residency requirement

 

[The Sound of Violence]

 

[sparkuri]

including a requirement that certified agents live in Asia for a minimum of one year.

Is that in a lifetime, or annually?
Lol

 

[The Sound of Violence]

Shhhhhhhocking Malki not only praises the new requirements, but mentions he's already been certified. All seems super above board and definitely not a move to eliminate any and all forms of competition for both ONE & Malki

 

[The Sound of Violence]

Erik Magraken wrote up a solid piece on this:

"Why is this controversial?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having minimum standards for sports agents. It is a good thing.

As previously discussed, the NFLPA requires managers to get certified. They must have a degree from an accredited college or university and their fees are capped at 3%. The MLBPA requires that agents only charge fees on salaries negotiated over and above the league’s collectively bargained minimum. The NBPA requires agents to be certified and requires agents to have a degree from an accredited university or college. The association also lists prohibited conduct by agents, a breach of which can lead to stripping of certification. The NHLPA requires agent certification and requires that a player pocket at least the league minimum collectively bargained salary after the agent takes their cut.

See the trend? Athletes set minimum standards of who can represent them. Not their employers. Having a promoter set limits on who can represent fighters is like having an opposing party in a lawsuit certify who you can use as your own lawyer. Its absurd. Managers owe a fiduciary duties to their client not to the promoter sitting on the opposite end of the bargaining table.

I imagine a policy such as this would come under regulatory scrutiny if ONE sought licencing in the US or Canada where conflicts of interest between managers and promoters are regulated. Nevada, for example, prohibits promoters from acting as managers with NAC 467.104 reading as follows:

An unarmed combatant may not have a promoter or any of its members, stockholders, officials, matchmakers or assistant matchmakers:

1.  Act directly or indirectly as his or her manager; or

2.  Hold any financial interest in the unarmed combatant’s management or earnings from contests or exhibitions.

If fighters ever meaningfully organize they can set terms and licencing standards for their agents as has been done in many other professional sports. A promoter has no business doing so..."

ONE Championship Announces Controversial “Agent Certification Program”

 

[jimmy boogaloo]

but surely the best agents are shady chancers, with colourful past records. so that makes up the majority of agents, some of whom no doubt suck, but whatever. let those guys do their thing.