October 22, 2024
A Nevada federal judge on Tuesday gave his blessing to a $375 million settlement resolving a group of former UFC fighters’ claims that the organization for years underpaid match participants, the fighters’ counsel confirmed.
During a hearing in his Las Vegas courtroom, U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II granted preliminary approval to the proposed deal, which would net many of the fighters more than $1 million each, according to plaintiffs’ attorney Eric L. Cramer of Berger Montague, who said they are “extremely pleased” with the decision.
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Benjamin D. Brown of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, another attorney for the plaintiffs, on Wednesday added, “I must commend the MMA fighters who helped expose UFC’s anticompetitive behavior by bringing this lawsuit. Becoming an elite MMA fighter is a dream come true for many athletes. However, the reality is that it’s a brutal business.”
“Under UFC, many fighters were left broken and broke,” he said. “The settlement we helped MMA fighters achieve recovers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost compensation from the UFC.”
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The fighters are represented by Eric L. Cramer, Michael Dell’Angelo, Ellen T. Noteware, Patrick F. Madden, Najah A. Jacobs and Joshua P. Davis of Berger Montague, Richard A. Koffman, Benjamin D. Brown, Daniel H. Silverman and Daniel Gifford of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, Joseph R. Saveri, Kevin E. Rayhill, Christopher K.L. Young and Itak Moradi of Joseph Saveri Law Firm LLP, Don Springmeyer of Kemp Jones LLP, Robert C. Maysey and Jerome K. Elwell of Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, and Crane Pomerantz of Clark Hill PLC.
Read UFC Fighters Win Initial OK On $375M Wage Suppression Deal.