When a few UFC fighters started giving voice to the idea of collective bargaining several years back, Leslie Smith quickly rose to the forefront among active athletes willing to put themselves on the front lines in the push for organization. Her Project Spearhead drive may not have yet united the UFC roster against their corporate masters, but it’s served as an introduction to the conversation for many.
At the moment, however, Smith admits that she’s put her focus into something more important than working for improved negotiating leverage in mixed martial arts. The Black Lives Matter movement has been launched back into the forefront of the American public discourse following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.