UFC Antitrust Lawsuit: Claims, $375M Settlement, and Pending Cases

The UFC antitrust lawsuit is a decade-long class action in which professional MMA fighters accused Zuffa, LLC, the UFC’s parent, of monopolizing the sport and suppressing fighter pay in violation of the Sherman Act. In February 2025, a federal judge gave final approval to a $375 million settlement covering fighters who competed in the UFC between December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017. Separate lawsuits brought on behalf of fighters who competed after that date remain active.

What the Fighters Alleged

The original case, Cung Le v. Zuffa, LLC, was filed in December 2014 by six current and former fighters on behalf of roughly 1,200 others.¹ The complaint accused the UFC of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act by acquiring and maintaining monopoly power over the promotion of live professional MMA and monopsony power over the market for fighter services. Plaintiffs’ counsel described it as the first labor monopsony case ever brought in the antitrust space.²

According to the fighters, the UFC locked athletes down through long-term exclusive contracts, right-to-match clauses on outside offers, exclusive negotiation windows of 30 to 90 days, and a “champion’s clause” that let the promotion unilaterally extend a champion’s deal by a full year. Plaintiffs also alleged the UFC bought out or drove rival promotions like Pride Fighting Championships out of business, eliminating alternative employers.³

Expert testimony put the UFC’s share of the market for professional MMA fighter services at between 71% and 99% during the class period.³ Fighters collectively took home roughly 13% to 15% of event revenue, compared to about 50% in the NFL, NBA, and NHL.⁴

How the Case Reached a $375 Million Settlement

The case, transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada in 2015 and assigned to Judge Richard F. Boulware II, moved slowly.⁵ The turning point came on August 9, 2023, when Judge Boulware certified the “Bout Class” of fighters who competed in UFC bouts in the United States between December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017. His order found that the UFC showed a “clear intent to acquire and maintain monopsony power” and that fighters were “trapped” by exclusionary contracts.⁶ The Ninth Circuit declined to hear the UFC’s appeal of certification in November 2023, and Judge Boulware denied summary judgment in January 2024.⁷

With trial looming, the parties announced a $335 million settlement in March 2024. Judge Boulware rejected it in July 2024, finding the amount insufficient and objecting to the way it lumped in claims of more recent fighters.⁸ The parties renegotiated, raised the total to $375 million, and limited the release to the Le class, leaving post-June 2017 claims to be litigated separately. Preliminary approval followed in October 2024.

Over 150 class members submitted testimony backing the revised deal, and 54 filed individual declarations. Wanderlei Silva said he was experiencing symptoms consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy and that “funds years from now may be of no use to me.” Diego Sanchez described daily survival as “a struggle.”⁸ On February 6, 2025, Judge Boulware granted final approval, calling the settlement the “result of vigorous arm’s-length negotiations undertaken in good faith.” He approved $115.2 million in attorneys’ fees, roughly 30.7% of the fund, with the written order following on March 3, 2025.⁹

Who Qualified and How Payouts Were Calculated

The settlement covers everyone who competed in at least one live UFC-promoted bout held or broadcast in the United States between December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017. Of 1,121 eligible class members, 1,088, or about 97%, filed claims.¹⁰

After legal fees, costs, service awards, and taxes, roughly $251 million remained for distribution. Payouts were calculated by weighting 70% on a fighter’s total UFC event compensation during the class period and 30% on the number of bouts fought. In practical terms, fighters received about 32.7% of their class-period UFC pay plus roughly $14,179 per fight, with a $15,000 minimum for every claimant.¹⁰¹¹

The results skewed sharply toward top earners. The largest projected payout, roughly $10.3 million, was attributed to Anderson Silva. Conor McGregor was projected to receive around $9 million and Ronda Rousey about $6 million. The average projected payout came in near $230,000, but the median was closer to $86,000.¹⁰

The claims administrator, Angelion Group, began sending payments in September 2025.¹² As of March 31, 2026, more than $237 million had reached 984 claimants across 44 countries, over 90% of the class. Remaining holds involve banking errors, incomplete account information, disputes with spouses or tax authorities, estates of deceased fighters, and sanctions restrictions affecting 17 claimants in countries on the Office of Foreign Assets Control list.¹³

What’s Still Pending for Post-2017 Fighters

The $375 million agreement resolved only Le v. Zuffa. Fighters who competed on or after July 1, 2017, are covered by separate active lawsuits raising similar antitrust claims, and the UFC’s newer contracts contain arbitration clauses and class-action waivers that have added a layer of legal fighting over who can even sue as a class.

Johnson v. Zuffa

Filed in 2021, Kajan Johnson v. Zuffa, LLC (Case No. 2:21-cv-01189) covers fighters from July 1, 2017, to the present. In August 2025, a federal judge rejected the UFC’s motion to deny class certification as premature.⁶⁵¹⁴ The plaintiffs have also asked a Nevada federal judge to hold the talent agency Dominance MMA LLC in contempt for refusing to produce discovery materials required under an August 2025 court order.¹⁵

Cirkunovs v. Zuffa

Filed on May 23, 2025, Cirkunovs v. Zuffa LLC (Case No. 2:25-cv-00914) targets a narrower group: post-2017 fighters whose UFC contracts contained arbitration clauses and class-action waivers. The suit directly challenges the enforceability of those provisions, since they could otherwise keep those fighters out of the Johnson class.⁵

Davis v. Zuffa

Phil Davis v. Zuffa LLC (Case No. 2:25-cv-00946), filed on May 29, 2025, is different in scope. It represents MMA fighters who competed for promotions other than the UFC from July 1, 2017, onward, arguing that the UFC’s dominance suppressed their earnings too.⁵

1
UFC Class Action. Cung Le et al. v. Zuffa LLC
2
Courthouse News Service. Judge Grants Final Approval of $375 Million UFC Antitrust Settlement After Decadelong Battle
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ProMarket. Cung Le v. Zuffa Promised to Change the UFC
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Berger Montague. UFC Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit Certified
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Joseph Saveri Law Firm. UFC Antitrust Litigation
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Cohen Milstein. Mixed Martial Arts Antitrust Litigation
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Berger Montague. UFC Antitrust Litigation
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Courthouse News Service. Ex-UFC Fighters Cite Financial, Physical Woes in Support of $375 Million Antitrust Settlement
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Bloomberg Law. UFC Ex-Fighters Get Final Approval of $375 Million Settlement
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Yahoo Sports. UFC Fighters Are Finally Getting Their Money
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UFC Fighter Class Action. UFC Fighter Class Action Settlement FAQs
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Yahoo Sports. As UFC Antitrust Payouts Roll In, Fighters Face Relief, Regret, and Complicated Reckonings
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Berger Montague. UFC Settlement Fund Distribution Update
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Law360. Fighters Allege UFC Destroyed Years of Critical Evidence
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Cohen Milstein. UFC Fighters Say Talent Agency Shirking Discovery Order