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THE FIGHT

The Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP serves as Co-Lead Counsel in an antitrust class action lawsuit on behalf of current and former professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The suit alleges Zuffa LLC (which does business as UFC) illegally acquired and maintained monopoly power in the market for MMA promotions and used that power to suppress UFC fighters' compensation.

Plaintiffs are MMA fighters who allege UFC unlawfully obtained monopoly power by impairing other MMA promoters’ ability to compete in the market for MMA promotions. UFC is the largest promoter of MMA events, with some 90% of the market, and has used its dominant position to extract one-sided concessions from the fighters and prevent competition for the fighters’ services. As a result, UFC has been able to suppress fighter compensation and impose exploitative contract terms on the fighters, locking them into long-term contracts for the length of their productive careers.

“UFC’s illegal acquisition and application of monopoly power to suppress the wages of Professional MMA fighters is inexcusable,” says Joseph Saveri, Co-Lead Counsel for the plaintiffs. “Because other promoters are excluded from top arenas, TV, pay-per-view, and other national media outlets, they simply cannot compete, and are either put out of business or relegated to second-tier status as a de facto farm system.”

“UFC pays its fighters a mere fraction of what athletes make in similar sports such as boxing,” Saveri continued. “Fighters who want to establish a national reputation have no choice but to sign with UFC, but then they are left with no opportunity to profit from their success.”

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CASE UPDATES

The suit, Cung Le v. Zuffa, LLC, seeks treble damages under Section 2 of the Sherman Act, as well as injunctive relief for current and former Professional MMA fighters. The case is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Representatives for the proposed class have announced the launch of a new case website —www.UFCclassaction.com—dedicated to informing class members and the general public about the case. A similar suit, Kajan Johnson and Clarence Dollaway v. Zuffa, LLC, was filed on June 23, 2021 in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.

On May 8, 2020, an extensive profile of Cung Le and the case was featured in Bloomberg Businessweek. On June 2 and 3, 2020, the plight of UFC fighters was extensively covered in The Athletic. A few weeks later, Bloomberg News released a video report about the suit, including its underlying issues, business impact, and status.

On August 9th, 2023, Judge Boulware issued an order certifying the class. This is a long-awaited but welcome result, especially for our clients who have persevered throughout the long delay.

On March 13, 2024, a settlement was reached resolving all claims in both the Le and Johnson cases, in exchange for payment of $335 million and certain changes in business practices in the future. The settlement was disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by TKO Group Holdings, Inc., the parent company of the current owners of the UFC. At the end of July, the Court rejected the settlement. A new trial date was set for February 3, 2025.

On October 23, 2024, the Court granted preliminary approval to a $375 million settlement and stayed further litigation activity. A hearing on final approval of the settlement will take place on February 6, 2025. For further information about the case and settlement, please refer to the UFC case website.

 

 

For further information, please see how the case has unfolded. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CASE HISTORY +

DECEMBER 10, 2020

At a hearing, the Court orally granted class certification. A written order confirming certification will be issued at a later date. The class certification drew considerable press attention, including from the New York Times, ESPN, and the California Daily Journal.

DECEMBER 5, 2018

Named plaintiffs and plaintiffs’ counsel held an information session for members of the proposed class (i.e., all fighters who competed in UFC bouts, or who had their identity rights used or taken by the UFC, after December 16, 2010) to provide updates on the status of the lawsuit. This meeting was held at the law offices of Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, LLP in Las Vegas and was open to all potential class members.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Plaintiffs filed their opposition to Zuffa LLC’s motion for summary judgment (filed under seal along with a publicly available, redacted version). The motion was denied by the Court on December 19, 2018.

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

Plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification (filed under seal, along with a publicly available, redacted version). This motion was opposed by Zuffa LLC.

OCTOBER 2016

Judge Richard Boulware denied defendant Zuffa's motion to dismiss the consolidated complaint.

JUNE-JULY 2015

The Court consolidated the actions and appointed the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP as Interim Co-Lead Counsel.

JUNE 2015

Judge Edward J. Davila of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California transferred the related Le, Vazquez, and Vera cases to the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.

DECEMBER 2014

Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP filed two additional lawsuits: Vazquez et al. v. Zuffa, LLC and Vera et al. v. Zuffa, LLC.

DECEMBER 2014

Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP, on behalf of Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, and Jon Fitch filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of MMA fighters in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

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