The UFC reached a new settlement in one of its antitrust lawsuits Thursday and hopes a judge will green-light it.
TKO Group – the UFC’s parent company – reached an agreement with the plaintiffs of Le v. Zuffa that will pay $375 million in the class action lawsuit in which former fighters allege the MMA promotion violated antitrust laws.
This amount exceeds the proposed $335 million settlement that Judge Richard Franklin Boulware II of the U.S. District Court of Nevada rejected in July.
Following the filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the UFC released a statement about the settlement in the Cung Le case. However, a second antitrust lawsuit led by former UFC fighter Kajan Johnson was not mentioned in the disclosure.
“We have reached a revised agreement with Plaintiffs to settle the Le case with terms that we believe address Judge Boulware’s stated concerns,” the statement read. "While we believe the original settlement was fair – a sentiment that was also shared by Plaintiffs – we feel it is in the best interest of all parties to bring this litigation to a close.
“As for the Johnson case, that process is in very early stages, and a motion to dismiss the complaint remains pending.”
The antitrust lawsuit dates to 2014, when Zuffa was accused of violating antitrust laws by paying UFC fighters less than they were entitled to and hurting other MMA promoters with those practices. The lawsuit also alleges that the UFC has gained an unfair advantage in the mixed martial arts industry through years of anticompetitive tactics and engaged “in a scheme to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services.”
The UFC has defended itself by saying that it has invested in the sport while pointing out rival promotions that have emerged over the past three decades as evidence of an equal playing field.
Ooooo
Split to attorneys?
Wow.
Impressive long play by Le.
isnt a bunch of this just going to McGregor? or is that the other one?
Is there a word on the street on how much the fighters actually get, or is it all “undisclosed”
Congrats on your $375m Cung
Kind of interesting how quiet this settlement was. They still have the Kajan Johnson, CB Dollaway class action suit to settle as well.
What is interesting is they agreed to settle both lawsuits for $335 million and now they are just settling one for $375 million. The reporter said that more than 1200 fighters were represented in one of the lawsuits.
That’s a pretty nice payday for everyone.
Probably the best thing that ever happened to these guys. If they get a few hundred grand each in a lump sum now versus having made an extra few hundred grand over their careers, I would think this is way better for them financially. Virtually none of them would have saved any of it and now they get a windfall.
I am certain they will all use it wisely in their more mature years.
I too am surprised how quiet this is being received. Dana Whiteberg controlled media?
Every one of the fighters included in this are pretty much on the black list for being mentioned during a broadcast or shown during a highlight reel. Unless they are getting finished by a fighter that the UFC wants to continue to promote.
Hopefully it gets turned down by the judge again. The UFC will literally pay anything to avoid all of their shady practices and financial details being exposed publicly.
I bet there are a lot of fighters who wished they’d joined the cause.