SUMMARY
- Over 1200 former UFC fighters were given the chance to opt out of the class action lawsuit.
- None of the fighters chose to do so.
A new development regarding the antitrust lawsuit against the UFC is another big blow to the MMA promotion. It has been revealed that none of the over 1200 fighters have opted to remove their name from the lawsuit.
For context, several former UFC fighters had filed a lawsuit against the promotion for unethical and illegal practices. They alleged that the UFC operated an unlawful monopsony and their fighter pay was extremely low.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou also alleged the same. Meanwhile, current UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones had similar views a few years ago. However, as of now, he is happy with the UFC.
The lawsuit against the Nevada-based promotion was certified last year. A handful of fighters became over 1,200 former UFC fighters who competed in the promotion between the period ranging from 2010-2017.
ZERO fighters opted out of the UFC class action lawsuit.
Not a single one from over 1,200!
Here’s a simple breakdown. pic.twitter.com/I23G0gpEed
— Erik Magraken (@erikmagraken) February 6, 2024
Despite the fighters receiving several notices, not a single member opted out. A court document read, “No members of the bout Class have requested exclusion from the Bout Class.”
All of these fighters were allowed to opt out of the lawsuit that seeks up to $1.6 billion in damages. The plan was court-certified and included means such as sending them a letter via first-class post to inform them of the deadline to opt out and their right to do so. Further, notices were put out in 48 MMA gyms across America and emails were also sent to the fighters.
Who are the over 1200 fighters who sued their former employees
There are six named plaintiffs in the antitrust lawsuit. According to the official website of the UFC antitrust lawsuit, these fighters are, “Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, Luis Javier Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury.”
Further, the website states that eligibility to be a plaintiff in the lawsuit is “all persons who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the United States from December 16, 2010, to June 30, 2017.”
Lawsuit by Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, Javier Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury is opening up to the UFC classes of 2010-17 https://t.co/6Et4JIviED
— flaminghakama (@flaminghakama) April 14, 2021
The case was filed in December 2014 against the UFC and its parent company Zuffa, LLC. The lawsuit has laid out two goals, one of those is to recover money for the over 1200 fighters and another is to mend the UFC’s way of running its organization. Several documents relating to UFC’s fighter pay have been released since then.
UFC hopes to extend the time for fighters to opt out as the trial date nears along with UFC 300
According to Combat Sports Law, the UFC is trying to extend the time for fighters to opt out. Their reasoning is technical. As stated by the report the reason is “namely because since the notice was first posted the lawsuit was refined to only seek damages with injunctive relief being abandoned to be pursued in a second class action which has yet to be certified.”
Moreover, the lawsuit is set to go to trial on April 15, 2024, in Nevada. In an extraordinary coincidence, it is just two days after UFC’s milestone event UFC 300, and in the very same state. UFC 300 is set to take place on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Although the process of finding a jury for the case will begin much earlier, it will be interesting to see how UFC and Dana White cope with a lawsuit so close to their biggest event.