Fighter Handshake Deals Die as MMA Grows

Originally posted on Sherdog.com

Unlike Cox and Bergmeier, Clark and Stansell always put their fighters under written contracts. So does relative MMA newcomer Ken Pavia, who owns MMA Agents in Huntington Beach, Calif., which represents about 50 fighters, including Phil Baroni, Chris Lytle, Jay Hieron and Joe Riggs.

“I would never do anything on a handshake,” said Pavia, who has verbally sparred with rival Cox on MMA sites. “I’m a law school graduate and I know that you violate a number of provisions by not having it in writing. But second of all, all relationships start good. It’s when the relationship starts to sour that you need a defining document.”

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Pavia, who makes no pretense that he is a manager, said his job as an agent is to “find opportunities and present them and then the fighters make the ultimate determination. I don’t manage them day to day or prepare them for their fights.”

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Pavia, meanwhile, never lacking in self-confidence, has ruffled some of the old guard’s feathers with statements such as, “I’m the best agent. And I’m actually the second best also. Everybody else competes for third.” Brashness aside, Pavia said he does not engage in poaching.

“For the record, I never poached a client from anybody,” said Pavia. “Now, do they come to me? Yeah, they do. I have at least one or two former Monte clients” including Hieron, “and he has some of my former clients. So, you know, it happens. Welcome to the representation business.”

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