Outside Source
Judge Richard Boulware gave final approval on Thursday for the $375 million settlement agreement in an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC that was first filed back in 2014.
An agreement between the fighters and the UFC was reached this past October with Boulware giving preliminary approval, but this latest move officially closes the case with money now set to be dispersed to the athletes involved in litigation.
The lawsuit was first filed by fighters such as Cung Le, Nate Quarry and others back in 2014, who argued the UFC engaged “in a scheme to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services.” The fighters claimed UFC achieved that goal through three key elements: Exclusive contracts, coercion, and acquisitions that eliminated potential competitors.
That lawsuit covered fighters from 2010 to 2017. A second lawsuit covering fighters from 2017 to present day is still ongoing.
An original settlement agreement was reached back in March 2024 for $335 million.
That figure was supposed to settle both antitrust lawsuits, but the judge denied that settlement agreement after previously stating in court the agreed upon payout seemed low and that the fighters represented in the second lawsuit could object to arbitration and class-action waiver clauses in existing contracts.
After the agreement was reached on the $375 million settlement, the UFC issued a statement regarding the end of the first antitrust lawsuit.
“Today’s decision is welcome news for both parties,” UFC officials said this past October. “We are pleased to be another step closer to bringing the Le case to a close.”
During Thursday’s proceedings, UFC lawyers stressed to the court that the organization wants the fighters involved in this class action to file claims to receive money due to them.
The exact amount being paid out to the athletes is still to be determined after lawyer fees with factors like the total number of bouts during the class action time period ultimately deciding how much each fighter would earn from the settlement.
In the initial filing asking the courts to approve the settlement, attorneys for the fighters laid out on average how much each athlete would likely receive as a result of the payout.
“Under the Settlement, Le Class members would recover (on average), after all fees and costs are deducted, $250,000. Thirty-five Class members would net over $1 million; nearly 100 fighters would net over $500,000; more than 200 fighters would recover over $250,000; over 500 fighters would net in excess of $100,000; and nearly 800 would recover over $50,000. By any reasonable measure, the Settlement, if approved, would put “life changing” cash into the hands of the families of several hundred fighters now.”
The second antitrust lawsuit is currently winding its way through the courts with proceedings still ongoing as the two parties draw nearer to a potential trial. It’s possible that a separate settlement agreement could be reached, but for now both the fighters and the UFC continue to prepare for a possible trial in the future.
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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