MMA: UFC agrees new £281m payment to former fighters
The UFC’s parent company TKO Group has agreed a $375m (£281m) settlement in relation to one of two legal cases affecting about 1,200 former UFC athletes.
The group of former fighters claim the UFC’s contracts suppressed athletes’ abilities to negotiate other promotional options.
TKO Group’s initial settlement in March of £263m was rejected by the judge, Richard Boulware, who said the figure was too low.
In a statement, TKO Group said it believes “the new agreement addresses Judge Boulware’s stated concerns” regarding the Cung Le case.
A new court date of 3 February 2025 was set and the settlement will now have to be signed off by the judge.
TKO Group maintain they felt the original settlement was “fair” but said it was “in the interest of all parties to bring this litigation to a close”.
The anti-trust lawsuits had sought up to $1.6bn (£1.25bn) in damages.
There are two separate legal claims, one filed by fighters Le and Nate Quarry in 2014 representing fighters who competed from 2010 to 2017, and a second filed by fighters including Kajan Johnson that represents fighters from 2017 to the present.
The 2014 claim alleges the UFC attempted “to acquire and maintain monopsony power [where there is only one buyer or client] in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services”.
TKO Group said that in regards to the Jung case, a motion to dismiss remains “pending”.
The UFC merged with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2023 to form the TKO Group.
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