Dana White and UFC Receive Huge Blow as Antitrust Case Set to Undergo Trial

The UFC is the biggest MMA organisation in the world without a close second. Over the past two decades or so, Dana White along with the Fertitta brothers have built the juggernaut. And since the takeover by Endeavour, the company has only grown further, extending its lead over its competitors. 

However, the UFC’s domination is now under intense scrutiny. In 2014, a group of current and former fighters filed a class action lawsuit against the promotion and its parent company, Zuffa LLC. The Class Representatives for this lawsuit include Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, Luis Javier Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury. 

A few hours back, the UFC suffered a major setback in trying to repeal the antitrust case against it. A screenshot of the ruling was shared on Twitter by John Nash. 

9th circuit has rejected the appeal, so barring the Judge ruling in favor of Defendant in Summary Judgment, looks like Le v Zuffa will be going to trial next Spring. pic.twitter.com/jbLSt1MU2v

— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) November 1, 2023

According to the document two judges on the 9th Circuit Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal request from the promotion’s lawyers. The request sought, among other things, to overturn a Nevada federal judge’s ruling to certify a class of fighters who were suing the UFC. Despite the recent controversies, the UFC’s business has been booming over the past few years. 

Dana White and the UFC march on despite recent controversies 

The UFC, according to the class representatives, paid its MMA athletes less than half of what they would have otherwise received because it dominated the market for MMA fighter services through the employment of unethical tactics. In addition, the fighters assert that the promotion broke antitrust laws, which hurt all mixed martial arts competitors.

According to the plaintiffs, the other major leagues such as the NFL and NBA distribute close to 50% of the revenues brought in to the players. This also applies to the sport of boxing which is why the biggest boxers are paid significantly a lot more. The case claims that the UFC distributes only about 20% of its overall revenues among fighters. 

 

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The lawsuit aims to receive compensation for 1,200 fighters who they feel have been robbed by the UFC of fair earnings. According to reports, the potential damage to the UFC could be between $800 and $1.6 billion. Given that they will be compensating 1,200 fighters for earnings over a seven year period, 2010-2017. 

Despite the recent controversies, the UFC and Dana White continue to march on. According to the recent financial information released, the UFC brought in revenues of $1.3 billion in 2022. This was up $224.1 million from 2021.