The UFC antitrust lawsuit settlement is a $375 million payout in Le v. Zuffa, approved by a federal judge in Nevada on February 6, 2025, that resolves claims by roughly 1,200 mixed martial arts fighters who competed in UFC-promoted bouts between December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017.1Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. $375 Million Antitrust Settlement Provides Life-Changing Money to UFC Fighters The deal is one of the largest antitrust recoveries in professional sports history. It does not cover fighters who competed after June 2017, and three separate lawsuits are still working through federal court on behalf of those fighters and others.
What the Fighters Alleged
The original complaint was filed in December 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada by a group of current and former UFC fighters, with Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, Luis Javier Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury as class representatives.2UFC Fighter Class Action. UFC Fighter Class Action The core claim was that Zuffa, the UFC’s operating company, ran an illegal scheme to eliminate competing MMA promoters and lock fighters into contracts that suppressed their pay.
The plaintiffs argued the UFC had made itself the only serious buyer of elite MMA fighter services and used that position to hold wages below competitive levels. They pointed to a string of acquisitions: the World Fighting Alliance and World Extreme Cagefighting in 2006, Pride Fighting Championships in 2007, the assets of Affliction in 2009, and Strikeforce in March 2011.3Justia. Le et al v. Zuffa, LLC, Class Certification Order According to the complaint, Zuffa controlled over 80% of U.S. MMA event revenue while paying fighters roughly 20% of it, compared with 50% or more in the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB.2UFC Fighter Class Action. UFC Fighter Class Action
Contract terms were the other half of the case. In his August 2023 class certification order, Judge Richard Boulware identified several provisions that kept fighters from reaching free agency: a champion’s clause that automatically extended contracts on a title win, a right-to-match clause giving the UFC up to a year after expiration to match outside offers, a declination clause that extended contracts when fighters refused a designated bout, and a retirement clause that suspended contracts indefinitely if a fighter retired.3Justia. Le et al v. Zuffa, LLC, Class Certification Order The court found that “the combined effect of the contracts’ restrictive clauses created a situation where Zuffa had the sole power to control a fighter’s ability to make money for the majority of the average fighter’s career.”
The plaintiffs’ economist, Hal Singer, estimated damages between $800 million and $1.6 billion using multivariate regression analysis.4Forbes. UFC Asks Judge to Exclude Expert Opinions in Antitrust Case After Judge Boulware denied the UFC’s motion for summary judgment in January 2024 and set the case for trial, the parties began working toward a deal.5Berger Montague. UFC Antitrust Litigation
How the Settlement Was Approved
The path to final approval had one detour. TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s parent, initially agreed to pay $335 million to resolve both Le v. Zuffa and the related Johnson v. Zuffa case covering post-2017 fighters.6Deadline. Endeavor TKO Group Settles UFC Fighters Lawsuit Judge Boulware rejected that deal in July 2024, citing inadequate compensation, a too-short opt-out period, the absence of active fighters as named plaintiffs, and the failure to address the UFC’s arbitration clauses.7Courthouse News Service. Federal Judge Rejects Settlement in UFC Monopoly Lawsuits
The parties returned with a revised agreement covering only the Le class for $375 million. The judge granted preliminary approval in October 2024 and final approval on February 6, 2025.1Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. $375 Million Antitrust Settlement Provides Life-Changing Money to UFC Fighters
How the Money Was Divided
Out of a gross fund of roughly $381.6 million (settlement plus accrued interest), about $126.7 million went to attorneys’ fees and costs, $1.5 million to service awards for the class representatives, and additional amounts to taxes and administrative expenses. That left a net distribution fund of about $251 million for the fighters.8Yahoo Sports. UFC Fighters Are Finally Getting Their Money: Antitrust Payouts Explained
The allocation formula split the net fund two ways: 70% based on a fighter’s total UFC event compensation during the class period, and 30% based on the number of bouts fought. In practice, each fighter received roughly 32.7% of what the UFC had paid them between 2010 and 2017, plus $14,179 per fight.8Yahoo Sports. UFC Fighters Are Finally Getting Their Money: Antitrust Payouts Explained
The spread of payouts was wide. The average was about $231,000, the median $86,000, and the minimum $16,122 for a fighter with a single low-paying bout.9Fightful. Anderson Silva Received $10.3 Million From UFC Antitrust Settlement Of 1,121 eligible fighters, 1,088 submitted claims, a 97% participation rate.5Berger Montague. UFC Antitrust Litigation
The Largest Individual Payouts
Anderson Silva was set to receive approximately $10.3 million, the largest individual payout, reflecting his earnings during the class period. Conor McGregor’s estimated share was around $9 million, and Ronda Rousey’s approximately $6 million. About 35 fighters stood to receive more than $1 million, and nearly 100 were expected to receive over $500,000.1Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. $375 Million Antitrust Settlement Provides Life-Changing Money to UFC Fighters
Distribution Status and Delays
The claims administrator, Angeion Group LLC, began distributing funds with a target date of September 2025.10Cageside Press. Anderson Silva Set for $10 Million Payout From UFC Antitrust Settlement As of April 2026, over $237 million had been paid to 984 claimants across 44 countries.
A small number of fighters were still waiting. About 10 faced legal complications, including competing claims from spouses, tax authorities, or estates where a fighter had died without a will. Another 17 lived in countries subject to U.S. sanctions, which legally prohibited the transfer of funds.11MMA Fighting. UFC Antitrust Lawsuit Payments Totalling Over $237 Million Paid to Fighters
Contract Changes Tied to the Settlement
Beyond cash, the settlement required structural changes to UFC contracts for a five-year period:
- Exclusive negotiation windows after a contract expires are capped at 30 days.
- If a fighter receives an outside offer, the UFC’s right to match is limited to four months.
- Extensions triggered by a fighter declining a bout are capped at six months, or the time needed to find a replacement opponent if longer.
- Contract suspensions tied to retirement or disability expire after four years, at which point the contract terminates automatically.12Courthouse News Service. Le v. Zuffa Settlement Agreement
The settlement agreement specified that these changes should not be read as the plaintiffs conceding the UFC’s existing contract terms were lawful.
What the Settlement Does Not Cover
The Le settlement resolves claims only for fighters who competed in UFC-promoted bouts between December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017. Fighters who competed after that period, fighters bound by arbitration clauses, and fighters on other promotions are addressed in three separate cases still working through federal court in Nevada.
Johnson v. Zuffa
Filed in June 2021 by Kajan Johnson and C.B. Dollaway, Johnson v. Zuffa covers fighters who competed from July 1, 2017, forward and advances the same antitrust theories as the Le case.13Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. Mixed Martial Arts Antitrust Litigation Class certification has not been granted. In April 2025, the plaintiffs and the UFC jointly asked Judge Boulware to narrow the proposed class by excluding fighters who had signed contracts with mandatory arbitration clauses and class-action waivers; the judge denied the request.14Yahoo Sports. UFC Antitrust Threat Returns: Explaining the 2 New Cases
In February 2026, the plaintiffs filed a motion seeking severe sanctions against TKO, Endeavor, and Zuffa, accusing them of destroying years of critical evidence and attempting to cover it up. The motion asks the court to enter a default judgment in the plaintiffs’ favor as a sanction.15Joseph Saveri Law Firm. UFC Antitrust Litigation No trial date has been set.
Cirkunovs v. Zuffa
Filed on May 23, 2025, by fighter Misha Cirkunov, this case targets the arbitration problem directly. It represents fighters who competed from July 2017 onward and signed contracts containing arbitration clauses or class-action waivers, and asks the court to declare those provisions unenforceable and permanently bar the UFC from including them.16CBS Sports. Two Former UFC Fighters File New Antitrust Lawsuits Against Promotion Zuffa has moved to compel arbitration. As of mid-2026, the court has allowed the plaintiffs to conduct discovery on the arbitration issue before ruling, and the defendants have appealed that procedural decision.17U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. TKO Group Holdings SEC Filing
Davis v. Zuffa
Filed on May 29, 2025, by Phil Davis, a veteran who competes for the Professional Fighters League, Davis represents fighters who have competed for non-UFC promotions since May 2021 and are not members of the Johnson or Cirkunovs classes. The complaint alleges that the UFC’s dominance suppresses pay across the entire MMA industry.18ESPN. Veteran MMA Fighter Phil Davis Leading Antitrust Suit vs. UFC The case does not seek monetary damages. Davis is asking the court for injunctive relief, including a mandate that UFC contracts allow fighters to terminate after one year.14Yahoo Sports. UFC Antitrust Threat Returns: Explaining the 2 New Cases Because only injunctive relief is sought, Judge Boulware would decide the case himself, without a jury. On March 31, 2026, the court denied the UFC’s motion to dismiss.17U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. TKO Group Holdings SEC Filing Discovery in the three active cases has been consolidated where they overlap.19CourtListener. Davis v. Zuffa, LLC Docket
Fighters who competed only after June 30, 2017 receive nothing from the $375 million Le settlement. Whether they eventually recover anything depends on those three cases.