LAS VEGAS -- Longtime baseball agent Jeff Borris and labor lawyer Lucas Middlebrook are spearheading an effort to unionize UFC athletes through the formation of the Professional Fighters Association (PFA).The group will hold a news conference Thursday at the MGM Grand in advance of Saturdays highly anticipated rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz at UFC 202.Borris, who has represented more than 500 professional baseball players, told ESPN.com that the unionization of UFC fighters is long overdue.The UFC is on the same plane as MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL -- their employees should be unionized in order to protect and safeguard their fights, Borris told ESPN.com. Every single athlete who is under contract with the UFC is currently being taken advantage of. From the guy who is fighting for $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win, all the way to the very top. Every single one of them.The UFC declined to comment on the PFA through a spokesperson. While the PFA is not the first group to advocate fighter rights, it is arguably the most aggressive effort to date to see fighters unionize.Borris intends to spend approximately six months getting in front of as many athletes as I can.According to Middlebrook, the group needs to collect authorization cards from 30 percent of the UFCs roster, which features roughly 600 total athletes. The PFA expects the UFC to challenge its fighters right to unionize on the basis that they are independent contractors rather than full-time employees. Should the National Labor Relations Board deem UFC fighters employees, the process would then move on to an election phase.In order for a union to be recognized, Borris would require support from a simple majority of the workforce. He has promised to only move forward with the PFA, however, if the support is far more overwhelming than a simple majority.One challenge Borris specifically mentioned is helping athletes overcome a fear of retribution from the UFC should they support the union.Ill use the round number of 600 total athletes -- Im not going to go to war with these guys if only 301 of them vote me in to be the executive director, Borris said. That would show there are fragmented groups within the whole. So far, after talking to the fighters I have spoken with, I dont notice any fragmentation whatsoever. They all stand united.I think the success from the baseball unions perspective has been the brotherhood that exists, and thats what I would need to go to bat against the UFC. Id need roughly all 600 fighters.Borris said his interest in unionizing UFC athletes began earlier this year, when he was asked by an associate at Ballengee Group sports agency, Lloyd Pierson, to look over his client Nate Diazs contract for UFC 196. Borris said he was shocked by several terms of the contract, all of which were in place absent any collective bargaining agreement.Matters such as drug-testing policies, licensing agreements and media responsibilities are all dictated by the UFC.As a specific example, Borris pointed to the recent debacle between the UFC and McGregor, one of its biggest stars. Earlier this year, the UFC pulled McGregor from a scheduled fight at UFC 200 on July 9 because he refused to interrupt his training camp to fly to Las Vegas for a scheduled news conference and photo shoot.Borris found it unacceptable that a process isnt in place to settle that type of dispute via a third party.In my view of the world, there should be a grievance procedure in place between the UFC and any one of its fighters, Borris said. In this example, a third-party arbitrator would make that ruling, as to whether Conor should fly in from Iceland or he shouldnt. It would not be this unilateral decision by the UFC to go and retaliate by yanking both Conor and Nate off a card where they are scheduled to make millions of dollars.The UFC has always been a private company, meaning its financial information is not public. PFA estimates, however, that athletes currently receive only 15 percent of the organizations revenue, compared to a far more even split in other leagues.Middlebrook, who has counseled the National Basketball Referees Association and the Professional Soccer Referees Association, added that the PFA would fight for benefits such as comprehensive medical care and retirement.Athletes have coverage based on fighting, but if they get a sinus infection, theyre not covered, Middlebrook said. To me, those are big parts of what were doing. Post-employment benefits -- 401[k] program where the UFC matches. Thats very typical of a [collective bargaining agreement].According to Borris, the PFA has received support from other players associations, including that of Donald Fehr, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association and current executive director of the NHL Players Association. Noah Syndergaard Mets Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Tim Tebow Mets Jersey http://www.metssale.com/mets-yoenis-cespedes-jersey/ . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Devin Mesoraco Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Travis dArnaud Jersey . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- That steady diet of drops by West Virginia wide receivers a year ago is turning into big gains so far this season.A unit led by Shelton Gibson, Daikiel Shorts and KaRaun White had success on their home field this month and will be looking for more Saturday when the Mountaineers (2-0) play BYU (1-2) in Landover, Maryland.The trio has combined for 89 percent of West Virginias receiving yards and four of the teams five touchdown grabs. Gibson and Shorts are averaging more than 100 yards per game and rank in the top 20 nationally.Theyre working under new wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier. A graduate assistant at Baylor last season, Carrier simply wants more consistency from a unit that hasnt produced a 1,000-yard season since Whites brother, Kevin, did it in 2014.Gibson so far has made opponents pay as West Virginias main outside threat with a pair of long touchdown grabs. Shorts is quarterback Skyler Howards best quick-throw option to the inside and leads the team with 14 catches.Howard said Shorts is the player he can rely on to get open when the quarterback is forced out of the pocket.I know where hes going to go, Howard said. Im comfortable throwing the ball to him if hes covered because hes going to catch it. He might get tackled, but hes going to catch it.White transferred a year ago from the same northeastern Pennsylvania junior college attended by brothers Kevin and Kyzir, who now is a safety for the Mountaineers. KaRaun White had a solid game in a Cactus Bowl win over Arizona State and his seven catches in two games this season are already about half of what he had for all of 2015.While Gibson led the team a year ago with 887 yards on just 37 recceptions, he was one of those guilty of multiple drops and had several games of one or no catches.ddddddddddddGibson has kept the production going in part because he said at times he can anticipate when Howard will throw it deep.Skyler gives me that look I already know, Gibson said. Thats just the connection we have.The receiving corps biggest need is getting more production out of the fourth receiver spot. Sophomore Jovon Durante also has a history of multiple dropped passes and has one catch for four yards this season after being moved from the outside.He just needs to settle down and let the game come to him, Holgorsen said.West Virginia found success with intermediate passes in the season opener because Missouris safeties were guarding against the deep pass, but Howard couldnt find the end zone. Howard threw for five TDs two weeks ago, three of them longer than 50 yards when Youngstown States safeties were caught trying to help stop the run.While Holgorsen said he expects BYU to try to limit West Virginias running game, which is averaging 5.1 yards per carry, he also wants the Mountaineers to have the potential to be able to go downfield when the safeties are down and theyre playing the run.BYU defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi simply wants to slow things down for a Mountaineer offense that has averaged 82 plays and 559 yards.I think everyone is excited to go after their quarterback, especially the idea of coming up against a high-powered offense, Kaufusi said. Lets see what we can do.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '