UFC antitrust lawsuit saga seemingly continues as judge reportedly has "serious concerns" over approving settlement
The UFC antitrust lawsuit has been a topic of intense debate and discussion for around a decade. Cung Le, who previously competed in the organization's middleweight division, filed a lawsuit against the UFC in 2014, with other fighters like Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry eventually joining the lawsuit.
The antitrust lawsuits filed in 2014 and 2015 were combined into one lawsuit. In addition, Kajan Johnson and C.B. Dollaway filed another antitrust lawsuit against the UFC in 2021.
Over 1,200 fighters accused the UFC of anti-competitive practices, alleging that the organization has monopolized the sport of MMA and used its power to underpay fighters. US district judge, Hon. Richard Franklin Boulware II, serving the District of Nevada, is believed to have heard the case since 2015. The judge granted the lawsuit class certification in 2023.
Additionally, in March 2024, it was reported that the UFC had reached a settlement in two antitrust lawsuits, whereby the promotion would pay the plaintiffs a total of $335 million. Besides, earlier this month (June 2024), it was noted that barring an objection, the settlement was likely to be approved by the court at a final hearing.
As reported by Paul Gift of Forbes, it now appears as though Judge Richard Boulware has expressed "serious concerns" regarding the UFC antitrust settlement. Gift added that the judge won't be approving the settlement today (June 14, 2024). In a series of tweets put forth by Gift, the indication was that the UFC antitrust lawsuit saga is likely to continue.
Check out the screenshots of a few tweets below:
In multiple tweets, Paul Gift signaled that the next court date regarding the case is in two weeks. Apparently, Judge Boulware has asked to see a fighter-by-fighter breakdown of pay that'll be accorded in the Le and Johnson cases. The judge is seemingly concerned that he'd certified a case of $800 million-$1.6 billion for the Le fighters but they seem to be getting only $161 million.
Potential assessment of UFC fighter pay for Conor McGregor and other top stars
Gift indicated that Judge Boulware views the plaintiffs' case as a strong one and feels that they're getting underpaid by the UFC in the settlement, which is why he refused to approve the settlement. It seems that the judge intends to see a fair allocation of the settlement fund to fighters right from the 2010-2017 and the 2017-2024 periods.
The judge could assess the pay granted to other fighters who aren't in litigation with the organization, including the payouts of UFC superstars like Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and Anderson Silva.
The consensus is that fighters like McGregor, Rousey, and other big-name UFC icons have generally earned significantly bigger purses than the average/lower-tier UFC fighter. Furthermore, in regard to the antitrust lawsuits, the belief is that if a settlement isn't reached, the case will go to trial.
Check out the screenshots of some of his tweets below:
