Judge Makes Preliminary Approval Of $375M UFC Antitrust Settlement
Judge Richard Boulware has given his initial approval of the UFC’s $375 million settlement in relation to their antitrust lawsuit.
The settlement relates to the first of two UFC lawsuits, which accused the organization of breaking antitrust laws to form a monopoly. It was alleged the UFC controlled how much UFC fights would earn by breaching those laws. The first case became known as Le vs. Zuffa. This was followed by another lawsuit in 2021 called Johnson vs. Zuffa.
The UFC initially agreed to settle for $335 million. That was subject to the court’s approval. However, Judge Boulware rejected it because the figure was too low. That made a trial inevitable unless an agreement could be made. Now, the UFC has settled, with the judge allowing it to initially proceed. Now, the focus can shift towards the UFC making those payments once all the legal fees have been sorted.
UFC Settlement
“We are extremely pleased that Judge Boulware granted preliminary approval of the $375 million settlement of the Le v. Zuffa case. It is a monumental achievement that will get significant relief to hundreds of deserving MMA fighters. We honor our brave representative plaintiffs who fought for this result for ten years. And we look forward to pursuing significant business changes and more damages in our second antitrust case against the UFC,” Eric Cramer (attorney for the plaintiffs)
“Today’s decision is welcome news for both parties. We are pleased to be another step closer to bringing the Le case to a close,” UFC spokesperson
The news has received a mixed reaction online. There is an argument that this is a major step towards better monetary compensation for UFC fighters. This is particularly true since it shows that former MMA fighters can win when they take a big organization through the court system. There is also a feeling that the UFC’s base pay for fighters is insufficient to sustain themselves if they fight once a year.
Jake Paul was very critical of this, as he urged the UFC should increase their base pay. This was around $12,000 for some fighters, meaning they could not support themselves if they only fought once a year. Paul argued that it should be increased to $50,000, enabling fighters to have a sustained income that would allow them to live throughout the year.
The Future
“The fighter minimum in the UFC is $12,500. It should be at least 50,000. If they made it 50,000, that would change the smaller fighters’ lives in a big, big, big, big way. They wouldn’t have to work other jobs. They can afford gym fees. [And] they can afford the proper food. Right now, they are working other jobs, barely scraping by. And if they change the fighter minimum to [$]50,000 per fight, it would only cost the UFC $20 million per year. But that $20 million would be going into the smaller fighters’ pockets, and it’s a world of a difference,” Paul stated
The drawback to this settlement may be that the figure is deemed too low. This is particularly true given the amount that the plaintiffs were initially requesting. Reports indicate the damages could have gone up to $1.6 billion. That was always going to be difficult to obtain. But the significant reduction in the figure suggests that there may be more work to be done. However, the increasing scrutiny on how much UFC fighters are getting paid may lead to other improvements. This is in areas such as fixed medical care and more aftercare once fighters retire. MMA fans had plenty to say about the decision.
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