August 9, 2023
The plaintiffs seemingly earned a strategic victory in an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC in 2020. Nearly three years later, that win has been made official.
Federal judge Richard F. Boulware granted the plaintiffs class certification on Wednesday, according to a document from the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. The lawsuit against the UFC, which was first filed in 2014, will now be a class action suit, meaning almost 1,200 fighters can sue the UFC as a collective for alleged unfair business practices.
The class period encompasses any fighter who competed in the UFC from Dec. 16, 2010, to June 30, 2017. The UFC plans to appeal the decision, the promotion told ESPN in a statement from its lead counsel, William A. Isaacson.
Boulware said he would be granting class certification in a status conference call in December 2020, but he did not file an official approval of the plaintiffs’ motion until Wednesday.
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The plaintiffs are seeking between $800 million and $1.6 billion in damages from the UFC. Boulware did not grant certification for the “identity class” part of the suit, where fighters claimed the UFC suppressed licensing fees associated with identity rights.
Read Antitrust Suit Against UFC Officially Granted Class Certification.