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Malki Kawa -- Class Act

2K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  feelgood 
#1 · (Edited)
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1778033/highlight/8703

Srsly. Mitrione is +1 for dropping this fool. :thumbsup:

edit: Ill try to justify my opinion, a little.

First thing. Inequal CEO wage distribution. Average wages, bonuses and incentives for CEO's are currently at the highest levels of imbalance and unfairness in America since the 1920's. In practice, it looks something like this:



Basically, this means in 1980 average CEO pay was 42 times the wages of the average worker. A few decades later, things have grown incredibly more imbalanced with CEO's and other executives being paid exponentially more than they made prior -- at the expense of the average US worker.

Given the way income is distributed, its not difficult to figure out why Mitrione's income was scaled so low -- most of it undeniably found its way into the pocket of the "CEO" who manages him.

Being financially exploited and taken advantage of is a hallmark of the fight game. Everyone from Don King to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield & others have played it at some point in time, and the botttom line is often that fighters are exploited and taken advantage of by those who promote them.

Given prior history, its not difficult to see how things pan out in the long run.

-Mike Tyson -- broke, taken advantage of by Don King and others.
-Evander Holyfield -- broke, had his mansion foreclosed, same story.
-Etc, etc, the same story has played out numerous times.

The key thing of note is that Mitrione made more off sponsorships by smaller, more independent, sources rather than large, bloated, corporate models such as that Malki represents. This is no accident, and it would be excellent if more fighters could catch on and educate themselves enough to recognize how and why this is so.

Bottom line -- the smaller and less bloated your management layer is, the less of your profits and income it consumes. Large, bloated, organizations like Malki Kawas' are very inefficient from a monetary and economic perspective. And, given economic averages associated with current business trends, often a bad idea.

Mitrione may be named 'meathead' but he's a genius for firing Malki.

If more fighters questioned their management and how their financial matters were being handled, there might not be so many fighters like Yoshihiro Akiyama who are blatantly and illegally taken advantage of.

Learn from this man. If you think something is off, ask questions. Educate yourself. And, don't be afraid to fire them. Its good for free markets. And its good for people like Malki that people question them and their business habits. :thumbsup:
 
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#3 ·
1) You do realize the average worker is a low-skilled, low-education most likely in low-tier service industry, or manufacturing, right?
2) Roles of CEO's have grown exponentially since then. Globalization, technological revolution, business structures, list goes on and on and on have all changed.
3) Uhh, regardless of any job you do, most of the money is still going to the pocket of the "CEO"(re: Dana White, haha). Just like Mitrione, if you decide to "fire" that "CEO", you're basically just quitting. They'll still go on with or without you.
4) Being financially exploited is a hallmark of life. I just worked my ass off tonight, and made about $3000~ (not including indirect/long-term income. just straight cash.) for the company I work for, all for about $14 an hour. You have a service you are able to provide, and somebody will trade you your service for money. You've obviously valued your served by the amount you've accepted because of the trade. Based on your next possible option, the one you're doing now is the BEST possible option (otherwise, you wouldn't be doing it). If there were something better than what you're currently doing than obviously you go there because of lost opportunity cost. But there isn't. It might not be fair, but what is fair anyway?
(I don't even get the point of the whole "CEO" thing anyway, it has nothing to do with your argument)
5) From what I've read, Malki could have made Mitrione plenty more from Malki's deals - but Mitrione had already made ones previously restricting Malki from doing his work. I honestly believe Malki has no reason to lie about this as it seems like it's very valid.
6) Unless a fighter/musician/actor owns the agency he/she works for, they will always be exploited. Fact of life, and frankly agencies/management are what run the entertainment industries.
7) The smaller and less bloated your management is, true the less profits and income it consumes - but you're not making as much income or profit.
8) Just curious as to how you know Kawas' organization is inefficient? Seems like it's very efficient. He has contacts with big corporations, they bring a fighter and discuss price. Sounds a lot more efficient than doing everything on your own, for a lot less money.
9) Economic averages associated with current business trends? ...sorry, but what're you talking about?
10) Yes, firing the guy that didn't make you more money because of something you did, defaming him on national television, and giving him basically free advertisment in the process? Not so sure he's a genius, and how many people would wanna work with him after that. Don't mix emotions with business. If you wanna do business, think business for the future - and think rationally.

I'm not trying to insult you or degrade you in anyway, Trix, just curious as to how you can come up with your claims.

Regarding the video, Malki seems like a chillin guy. He's obviously cool with King Mo and knows how to joke around/not take himself too seriously. He took an opportunity to get the word out about what he does but still seem like a person. Almost like Dana White, but with hair.
 
#4 ·
1) You do realize the average worker is a low-skilled, low-education most likely in low-tier service industry, or manufacturing, right?
2) Roles of CEO's have grown exponentially since then. Globalization, technological revolution, business structures, list goes on and on and on have all changed.
3) Uhh, regardless of any job you do, most of the money is still going to the pocket of the "CEO"(re: Dana White, haha). Just like Mitrione, if you decide to "fire" that "CEO", you're basically just quitting. They'll still go on with or without you.
4) Being financially exploited is a hallmark of life. I just worked my ass off tonight, and made about $3000~ (not including indirect/long-term income. just straight cash.) for the company I work for, all for about $14 an hour. You have a service you are able to provide, and somebody will trade you your service for money. You've obviously valued your served by the amount you've accepted because of the trade. Based on your next possible option, the one you're doing now is the BEST possible option (otherwise, you wouldn't be doing it). If there were something better than what you're currently doing than obviously you go there because of lost opportunity cost. But there isn't. It might not be fair, but what is fair anyway?
(I don't even get the point of the whole "CEO" thing anyway, it has nothing to do with your argument)
5) From what I've read, Malki could have made Mitrione plenty more from Malki's deals - but Mitrione had already made ones previously restricting Malki from doing his work. I honestly believe Malki has no reason to lie about this as it seems like it's very valid.
6) Unless a fighter/musician/actor owns the agency he/she works for, they will always be exploited. Fact of life, and frankly agencies/management are what run the entertainment industries.
7) The smaller and less bloated your management is, true the less profits and income it consumes - but you're not making as much income or profit.
8) Just curious as to how you know Kawas' organization is inefficient? Seems like it's very efficient. He has contacts with big corporations, they bring a fighter and discuss price. Sounds a lot more efficient than doing everything on your own, for a lot less money.
9) Economic averages associated with current business trends? ...sorry, but what're you talking about?
10) Yes, firing the guy that didn't make you more money because of something you did, defaming him on national television, and giving him basically free advertisment in the process? Not so sure he's a genius, and how many people would wanna work with him after that. Don't mix emotions with business. If you wanna do business, think business for the future - and think rationally.

I'm not trying to insult you or degrade you in anyway, Trix, just curious as to how you can come up with your claims.

Regarding the video, Malki seems like a chillin guy. He's obviously cool with King Mo and knows how to joke around/not take himself too seriously. He took an opportunity to get the word out about what he does but still seem like a person. Almost like Dana White, but with hair.

I tried to read all of your post it looked very thought out and researched..+ rep comming to ya...But The bold part is where I think we need to discuss here....Dana White aside we all know he is raping some/most of the fighters.......But here is the manager of a fighter that only brought his fighter 5 k for this fight...not to mention mouth off at his wife.....I would def call Matt "MeatHead" if he kept this guy around. I know there were certain condictions he had to work with but come on.....I dont think it was just one thing with this fireing it was the couple things put together....and now we wait to see whats going to happen...I doubt Malki will get more clients off this and I dont think many higher teir managers will want to get involved with Matt now that they know the stuff they might have to work around.
 
#8 ·
Stating "That's not necessarily the story - I wasn't there" just about sums up the credibility of anything concerning Mitrione and this brief sponsorship arrangements concerning Kawa.

The rest of your post I find a bit crazy :confused03:
 
#9 · (Edited)
@G_Land: It seems VERY likely it was a sequence of events that led to Mitrione dismissing Malki - a lot of which seem to be emotional. It's a shame really. In my opinion, all this is basically free publicity and it's not necessarily TOO bad since there's 2 sides of the story that have been covered. To be completely honest, Malki does seem to be a little bit more reasonable - but that could just be a facade (that's working lol). We won't know exactly what happened, but this is making Malki's name more recognizable to fighters. Being more well-known is always good in representation services. I really don't think people will stray away from Mitrione either, he just had a bad experience.
It's like...signing up for a new cellphone with a new company and everything just goes wrong from the start. I mean like everything. Overcharged you, gave you the wrong phone, refuse to help you, etc.etc. You'll obviously switch to another carrier, and everything will just go smoothly. Shit happens sometimes. Just like everything in life, your mileage may vary.



You pretty much called it.

Honestly, I usually wouldn't care - but nobody's reading this worthless thread and I'm bored, so I'm just gunna go ahead and...

There were far more college graduates and educational degrees handed out in 2010, than there were in 1980. In short: the average worker is better educated and more highly skilled in 2010 than the average worker in 1980.

From where comes the MYTH that education or skillset either cause or justify greater wage imbalance? And, given the relative higher degree of education and skillset, how would you say the greater wage inequality is justified?
First, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Seriously. You're using the most basic of facts and trying to manipulate them into something you have no IDEA about.

Yes, more degrees have been handed out in 2010 than 1980. Obviously. It has become ESSENTIAL to living a decent life (in a "regular" way, of course there are other routes). In 1980, you could put caps on bottles in an assembly line being a high-school drop out..try doing anything without high school now. Basic Arts degrees can get you low level management positions. Something that in 1980 could have been achieved with high-school education.

It's not a "myth" that education/skill set cause a greater wage imbalance. It's fact. A guy with his Masters will be making more than a guy with just high-school. He will have a better job. An electrician that knows how to wire a building will make more than the electrician that can switch out plugs. An electrician with a masters (assume business) will have the skill-set to begin his own company, and if he's one of the lucky ones, have it grow into a successful organization where he is the CEO.

The "myth" that you might be thinking of (which isn't what you're thinking of, because you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about) is the deskilling hypothesis. Human capital (workers/labourers) in certain industries have less bargaining power for their wages, as a result of advances in machinery and technology that have taken over simple jobs (i.e. capping bottles). There is also a theory that this loss if offset by a greater demand and bargaining power in other jobs that are required for production of this technology and machinery, but that's off-topic.


Its actually MUCH easier to be a CEO in 2010 than it was in 1980. That's why there are so many of them.
You're using the argument that because there a lot of CEO's now, it must mean it's easier to be a CEO. Really?
…do you even know what a CEO is, or what they do?

You realize that the formation of companies and corporations rapidly rose from the 1980's to now, because of mass privatization of public sectors - not to mention the dot.com boom, Silicon Valley, venture capitalism, highly increased social demand, the list goes on and on. Hell, you can even use the UFC as an example.
Companies/Corporations now own and operate other major companies too, because of their vast amount of resources, and ability to market and sell new products/services (i.e. Time-Warner, GE…seriously, look up how much they run and own.)

That doesn't justify CEO's average pay increasing 10 times over the past 3 decades, while everyone else's pay remains more or less the same.
What justifies the amount a CEO is getting paid is the work they have created, not the work they do. Not saying I agree with it, but that is what it is. All these fighters now have jobs - presumably doing something they love to do. Without Dana White, they wouldn't have that, so it's definitely fair that Dana White gets a lot, lot more than they do.
It sure as hell also take a lot of work to create that same amount of work, and massive corporations are so big because of splitting that workload (i.e. creating the iPod - started as an idea, then passed to development and tech, marketing, sales, etc.etc.).

That little graph thing you have is so out of context you can't tell which CEO's and what average worker. Long story short: it's not completely right. Fact. I can prove it, but this has nothing to do with Malki anyway. If you have an issue with Dana White about this? Then definitely. Malki? Hell no.

I don't care to argue belief systems. Your spiel revolving around exploitation being life is exactly that -- a belief. Right next to superstition and theory.
Oh, Trix. A belief, superstition, and theory are all very different things. It is also neither. It's basic economic fact.
If you could go out tomorrow and do THE SAME EXACT THING where you could make twice as much, you wouldn't? (this is where I wait to hear some stupid answer like, "but I'm happy with my current situation, not a big fan of change.") Like I said before, what you're doing now is the best possible option, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it.

It's why Mitrione fired Malki, but under different circumstances.

Your rebuttal to that is basically "I don't like to think so just because"

Malki never said that Mitrione would have made more.

What he said was that Mitrione didn't give him exclusive promotional rights.

Well, ok, what do exclusive promotional rights do? They prevent people like Mitrione from shopping around and doing comparisons to get an idea of who is treating them well and doing a good job with promotions, and who isn't.

If Mitrione did things Malki's way, he probably would have wound up signing a contract that gave up his rights to promotion(sponsorships) for a period of years. This means that Malki and Malki only would have done Mitrione's promotional work(sponsorships), and that Mitrione would have no right to seek out someone else to promote for him or to do comparison shopping in order to see how different types of agents and managers do things.

What Malki wanted was to take away Mitrione's promotional freedoms and make him contractually obligated for a period of time. He never said the contract would make Mitrione more money, it wouldn't.
Exclusive promotional rights give Malki the ability to work on his free will and maximize potential profit from sponsors because of their freedom of choice. It makes Malki's job easier, more efficient, and more successful. It also prevents him with having to deal with competitors and losing potential profit.
For example, you own a basketball court and I know people that would like to play. People I know would pay you, through me (because I know them), to play on the court. If you sold 3/4 of a court already and I only get 1/4 a court, these people aren't going to pay much for 1/4 of the court. If they had a full court, they would pay a lot more than 4 times than they did for the 1/4, for obvious reasons. (If you'd like to argue you could find your own people, you won't find the people I know. Just like in sponsorship deals - otherwise everybody would be doing it on their own)

You have absolutely no idea what he probably would have ended up signing. Everything you just said right there is PURE fabrication. You don't know anything about a contract OR the terms of a contract. Besides, Mitrione would only pick Malki if he would think Malki is/was the best person for the job to do it, otherwise he wouldn't have done it to begin with (does that sound familiar?).

Malki wanted "promotional freedom" to do his job. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you can't figure out why.

That's a myth / belief system / superstition.
Again, you resort to a childish rebuttal (which mind you, none of which mean the same, AGAIN). Please if you have a point you'd like to make to try and prove me wrong, go ahead rather than just - again - "I don't like to think so just because" .

This is where lay-offs and re-structuring come into play. AKA -- trimming the fat. The whole point of lay-offs is to reduce in-efficiency and debt. It doesn't necessarily mean you reduce income.
No.
Re-structuring is losing the fat and building muscle, not just trimming fat. It doesn't necessarily mean lay-offs, it's simply meant to increase efficiency, and potentially even creating more jobs if a company find out it needs more workers.
Lay-offs are meant to downsize due to financial stress and difficulties. Look up variable costs and fixed costs of running a business, and try to make a connection (hint: it's easier to pay stuff off without spending so much).
Less workers means less production means less short-term income (based on short-term supply). Don't bother asking about long-term supply, you won't understand.

Just to reaffirm if you still doubt all these "myths", I'm sure GM, Ford, and Chrysler, Air Canada, eBay didn't have massive layoffs to "trim the fat".

This is what I think about Malki Kawa's organization.

He probably has his bread earners who are big name NFL players who are worth millions in endorsements and sponsorships. These are the guys he takes care of and treats well as they give his organization credibility.

On a lower level, there are fighters like Mitrione, Florian and Jon Bones Jones who are worth much less and produce less income than an NFL player. These are probably the guys that Malki screws over as they're on the bottom of the food chain in terms of how much they're worth from a monetary and prestige perspective.

Of course, they probably don't realize they're being screwed. Malki probably gave them a 2 to 5 year contract that gives Malki full(exclusive) promotional rights, and prevents them from approaching others to promote them.

So, they never really are able to compare how Malki does things to how someone else does things.

Here's the important thing. Mitrione had 2 or 3 people doing promotional work for him. Malki was 1 of them. Malki gave him by far the least $$$ and had a bad attitude in terms of telling Mitrione's wife that the financial matters were none of her business.

So, what happened was Mitrione's wife probably asked questions and tried to get a breakdown of how Malki runs his business and how he came up with the $5,000 number. Malki shut her down and refused to divulge information. Probably because he had something to hide -- like ripping Mitrione off. Mitrione fired Malki on public television.

I hope that explains things a little better. That's not necessarily the story -- I wasn't there. Things how I see things having went down.
Um..how can I say this in a way you'd understand…Oh, I got it!
That's a myth / belief system / superstition.
All that is bascially pure fabrication and speculation. You have nothing close to a source, and you know nothing of Malki.

Just in-case you didn't watch the interview, he has a website. It even has a client list - here, take a look!
http://www.firstroundmanagement.tv/clients.php?sport=1

Yes…star NFL players like Peyton AND Eli Manning even Manny Pacquaio! ****, I haven't even heard of 3/4 the guys on his roster.
Malki's just another dude trying to get a business started. He doesn't screw anybody ever, that's not his job. And if he did, he wouldn't have a job. His job is to get companies to invest in fighters - the merit of which highly depends on the fighters themselves. He does the best he can, given what he's able to work with (just as most people do with their jobs, especially if it's their own company).

And again, with Mitrione's wife, you have NO idea what you're talking about. Seriously. Even if the near-absolute-zero possibility that it was true, if I was Malki and a clients wife asked me how I run my business, I'd tell her to **** right off.

The best part of all of this is "I hope that explains things a little better…how I see things having [gone] down". Like wow. For your own sake, shut up.

Nevermind. I don't feel like explaining.
Damn, why I'd tell you to shut up. I REALLY wanted to hear this one. "Economic averages associated with current business trends"…LOL.

I don't think Malki is 'chill'. I think he's a ruthless, gangster, wannabe who would stab you as soon as look at you.
LOL. I think you're either 15, stupid, or just a typical republican. (No offense to other Republicans :p)

You dismiss everything I presented to you as being untrue, without giving ANY reason to believe so. I kinda thought you *might* have a point. But, you don't. And you still don't know what you're talking about.
 
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