Sophia Serrao
Tue, 03/26/2024
Recently, UFC fighters settled a decade long antitrust case against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”) and its parent company. The fighters alleged that the UFC, a mixed martial arts organization, has monopoly power to suppress their compensation. Accordingly, the fighters also alleged that they signed extended contracts which barred them from working for other leagues. The fighters contended that UFC lacks competition in its services and therefore enacted restraints and restrictions on competing for other leagues into the contracts. The restraints allegedly inhibited the fighter’s ability to incur earnings that they would otherwise have access to in a more competitive market. UFC denied any allegations and noted that various fighters have signed deals with other leagues.
The settlement covers two cases: Cung Le, et al. v. Zuffa and Kajan Johnson, et al., v. Zuffa. Both class action lawsuits covered groups of UFC fighters who fought in one or more UFC bouts between December 2010 to the present between the two cases. The cases jointly settled for $335 million. The settlement is awaiting approval from a federal judge. The payments, once approved, would be paid in installments over a currently undisclosed period of time.
