The UFC is facing another potential class-action lawsuit, as a former fighter has filed an antitrust class-action complaint with the Nevada Federal Court.
This follows an eventful 2024, in which the UFC eventually settled on a $375 million settlement in The Vs. Zinda Lawsuit after a decade of litigation.
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In December 2014, a group of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, both retired and active, filed a class-action lawsuit against the UFC and its parent company, Zuffa LLC. They believed the UFC used ‘improper strategies’ to monopsonize the market for MMA fighter services.
As such, they claimed the UFC paid them significantly less than they deserved, and they sought compensation, which they received in part ten years later. Another lawsuit, Johnson vs. Zuffa, sought injunctive relief to alter the UFC’s business model, but it remains a developing case.
This new potential class action suit, Mikhail Cirkunovs vs. Zuffais “almost identical” to Johnson vs. Zuffa, but will look to represent fighters who signed arbitration agreements or class action waivers and challenge those waivers. The case will also be led by the same attorneys who handled the Le and Johnson classes.
Flowers to journalist John S. Nash for sharing this information on X.
Put simply, the UFC implemented clauses in fighter contracts to prevent them from participating in class action lawsuits. Cirkunovs vs. Zuffa will seek to challenge this controversial implementation, whereas the Johnson class cannot in a good capacity.
“Since at least late September 2020, the UFC has also used its ill-gotten monopoly and monopsony power and coercive contract terms to force members of the Class to sign contracts containing Arbitration Clauses and/or Class-Action Waivers.”
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It could well be years before any meaningful developments come of this news, but challenging the clause is a net positive for MMA fighters worldwide, as is the Johnson case.
It’s also worth mentioning that the damages from the Le vs. Zuffa lawsuit could have totaled over $1.6 billion for the UFC. $375 million was a comparatively low settlement.
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