Sports · Combat Sports · 2 hrs ago
Fighters' group plans inquiry into safety and treatment in combat sports
Former boxer Paul Smith says fighters are hurt, exploited or forgotten in a system that offers too little support.
The Global Fighters' Association, set up last year, wants to become a union and represent fighters across combat sports.
The group plans an inquiry into safety, governance and treatment from grassroots to professional levels.
It says fighters need fair contracts, better pay, insurance, pensions, safety standards and an official channel to report problems.
Smith says it is a failing when injured fighters such as Lee Reeves have to rely on public fundraisers to pay for care.
The GFA aims to raise £500,000 through crowdfunding to pay for the inquiry.
Barrister Jonathan Caplan KC is set to lead the work and produce a report based on evidence and testimonies.
The Global Fighters' Association plans an inquiry into safety, governance and the treatment of combat sports participants.
Former boxer Paul Smith says fighters are being hurt, exploited or forgotten in a system that lacks support.
The inquiry, led by barrister Jonathan Caplan KC, will examine combat sports from grassroots to professional levels.
The non-profit group aims to raise £500,000 through crowdfunding to fund the inquiry.
The GFA says it wants to campaign for fair contracts, better pay, insurance, pensions and health and safety standards.
- Who
- The Global Fighters' Association, a group set up to represent fighters, is planning the inquiry. Former boxer Paul Smith is part of its team.
- What
- The group aims to launch an inquiry into safety, governance and the treatment of combat sports participants.
- When
- The GFA was set up last year. The article was published on 26 October 2026.
- Where
- The inquiry will cover combat sports at grassroots and professional levels. The sources do not state a specific location.
- Why
- The GFA says it wants to identify where the system fails fighters and recommend improvements to their protection and support.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Global Fighters' Association was set up with the aim of creating a union to safeguard fighters' futures.
British MMA fighter Michael 'Venom' Page urged fighters to form a union to campaign for better pay.
The GFA's planned inquiry was reported, with barrister Jonathan Caplan KC set to lead the process.
- Inquiry lead
- Jonathan Caplan KC
- Planned fundraising target
- £500,000
- Inquiry scope
- Safety, governance and treatment of participants from grassroots to professional levels
- Group name
- Global Fighters' Association (GFA)
- Example of emergency support
- Public fundraisers helped fighter Lee Reeves pay for care after serious injuries
What people are saying
Every week, somewhere in this sport, a fighter is hurt, exploited or forgotten, and the only safety net is whatever the boxing community can scrape together after the fact
It is striking that combat sport is one of the last workplaces with no professional representation for its workers, meaning little protection, no minimum health and safety standard, no independent pension scheme, no insurance floor, and no single body a fighter can turn to when something goes wrong
It's the one piece of legislation anywhere in the world that gives fighters a level of workplace protection, and it's currently being rewritten in a way critics say favours the promoters and networks that already hold most of the power