Court grants FINAL approval in first of two
UFC fighter pay lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/gv6Ja3cjDI— Erik Magraken (@erikmagraken)
February 6, 2025
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship is officially settling the first
of two antitrust cases for $375 million.
In September, the UFC
agreed to up its amount for the settlement of the Le vs. Zuffa
antitrust case for fighters that competed with the league from 2010
to 2017 to $375 million. This was subject to approval from Nevada
judge Richard Boulware, who
did so in October while scheduling the final approval hearing
for February. First breaking from to combat
sports attorney Erik Magraken on Thursday, Judge Boulware has
granted final approval to the settlement and the first case will be
closed.
Over a decade ago, the UFC’s former parent company of Zuffa was
sued for violating antitrust laws, and accused of engaging in
anticompetitive practices to harm fighters. The claims were that
the UFC paid fighters less than they should have been making, which
harmed other organizations by keeping overall fighter pay low. Two
different classes were formed during the suit, splitting up with
one including competitors represented by Cung Le who
fought for the UFC in the span of 2010-2017. Kajan
Johnson, another former UFC athlete, still represents the
second class for those under UFC contracts in 2017 and beyond.
The parties previously agreed to a $335 million settlement in early
2024, but Judge Boulware rejected it partially on the grounds that
it combined two separate cases into one agreement. The full sum of
$375 million will be paid directly to the class established in the
Le case, but there will be no changes in how the UFC manages its
contracts or does business. The terms of the payouts are still not
specified, although a previous filing noted that a few dozen would
be eligible for over $1 million while hundreds of others could
collect upwards of $50,000. Those in the Johnson case wish to seek
modifications in the UFC’s negotiating tactics, in addition to
seeking damages sustained as a result of these contracts. According
to
MMAFighting, the UFC “stressed to the court that the
organization wants the fighters involved in this class action to
file claims to receive money due to them.”