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Dana White says Leslie Smith’s labor complaint against the UFC is ‘somebody else’s problem’

If you’re wondering what UFC President Dana White thinks about Leslie Smith’s complaint against the UFC for unfair labor practices, the answer seems to be: not much.

Talking to Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and comedian Jim Norton on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast this week, White said he was only obliquely aware of Smith’s legal filing, and he seemed pretty pleased about that.

“Apparently she did (file a complaint),” White said on the podcast. “I don’t know that much about this to talk about it. I literally don’t know anything about it. I know that she’s upset and she filed something. She’s suing us or filed something with somebody. I don’t know. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t focus on that (expletive) anymore. That’s not my problem. Thats somebody else’s problem. I get to do all the fun (expletive).”

The “somebody” that Smith filed “something” with happens to be the National Labor Relations Board, and it has the potential to wind up being a very big deal for the UFC.

Smith is claiming that the UFC essentially terminated her employment as retaliation for her work with Project Spearhead, which she alleges is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers from retaliation for engaging in unionizing activities.

The complaint could have far-reaching effects, since it also makes the claim that Smith was effectively an employee as a UFC fighter – not an independent contractor.

The NLRB is one of the regulatory bodies often tasked with making a ruling on that distinction, so Smith’s complaint could conceivably set a precedent that would change the employment classification of every UFC fighter.

And if that happens? Then things could really get messy for the UFC, possibly to the tune of millions of dollars in back pay and taxes.

White doesn’t seem too worried. Is that a sign of unshakable confidence in the lawyers the UFC put on the case, or just an indication that his current role has him so far removed from the UFC’s various legal battles that he doesn’t even bother finding out the details anymore?

Unclear. But at least he seems to be having fun.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly seriously, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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