Managers can make or break your life in the MMA world, and Sean O’Malley knows it well. That’s why the former bantamweight champion, arguably the biggest bantamweight star in the world, prefers to handle his business on his own—just like how he is with his fashion sense. “I’d say make sure when you get these manager’s contracts, read them… have a lawyer look through them,” said Sean O’Malley in one of his conversations with the media. Well, a year after O’Malley disclosed that he doesn’t like managers dealing with his stuff, a lawyer has come forward to expose those contracts.

Exposing the management contract industry, ‘Combat Sports regulatory lawyer MMA/Kickboxing Judge Author’ [as per his bio on X (formerly Twitter)], Erik Magraken has come forward to double down on Sean O’Malley’s quote about the managers. How did the lawyer do that? Well, he exposed them by reading the management contracts live. Magraken took a bunch of contracts and stated that most of them were nothing but “Dogs–t management contracts in mixed martial arts.”

“So, I’ve got a stack of management contracts from around the world here that fighters sign, and I’m going to give you one bit of advice, having helped many fighters get out of these contracts. I’ll actually give you two bits of advice before you sign your contract. The first: get advice before you sign the contract because it is a lot easier to not sign a bad contract than it is to try and get out of that contract. But the second bit of advice is, whatever the term—whatever amount your manager wants you to pay them, whatever your manager has to do for you, whether it gets you into a certain promotion, negotiating fights, or negotiating sponsorships – whatever your manager does for you, you should be able to walk away from that. The contract should not lock you in for a number of years”, said Magraken.

He further added, “Your professional fighting career is extraordinarily short—on average, only a few years. Why should you be stuck with your manager for two, three, or four years if they’re doing a terrible job? Imagine your dentist said, ‘Only I could get to work on your teeth for the next three years before signing this contract.’ You wouldn’t. What if your accountant did that? What if your lawyer did that? You should be able to walk away from professionals who are doing a bad job. Managers are no different. So, if you should negotiate anything, negotiate your clause where you could walk away at will, if your manager’s doing a terrible job.”

Bad managers can make a fighter’s life terrible as their exorbitant fees force the fighters to, a lot of times, take unnecessary fights. In addition to Sean O’Malley, heavyweight champion of the world, Jon Jones advised the young fighters to not rush when choosing a manager.

Before Sean O’Malley, Jon Jones gave advice to young fighters on dealing with managers

Sean O’Malley straight-up stated that he doesn’t like to have managers, “They’re taking 20 percent of your purse. They’re taking your win bonus, taking your fight bonus, your performance bonus. I would be very very skeptical on signing their contract.” Well, before O’Malley, the GOAT of the sport, Jon Jones called upon young fighters to have patience while dealing with the management. Taking to his Instagram handle, ‘Bones’ emphasized that many fighters have been wronged by their managers.

In the lengthy Instagram post, Jones wrote, “In every sport, the generations that come before teach the one on the way up the game. Fighting, it’s a bit different because we are individuals in this business, but it shouldn’t stop us from reaching back to light the way. I started this thing young and had some great people help me along the way, plus having 2 brothers in the league helped me see a whole different side of things. I want to help those making their way through and I’ll start with this: No manager should ever be getting 20% of your money.”

He further added, “I hear about and see too many young fighters getting stuck in bad deals. Real talk, a manager should make 10%, maybe 15 if they are really getting it done for you, but never should you be paying a manager more than you pay Uncle Sam. NEVER, if all your manager does is sit in while you sign contracts then start looking for another. If they want 15%, let that come on the endorsements they get you because THAT is where their focus should always be. Growing your brand.”

With both of the heavy hitters of the heaviest and second-lightest divisions calling for new MMA fighters to exercise caution before going into management contracts, what are your thoughts on it? State your opinions in the comments below.