Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has responded to the news that the antitrust lawsuit settlement was denied by Judge, Richard Boulware.
UFC and the fighters challenging it in the case agreed to a proposed settlement of $335 million in March 2024. That agreement had seemingly had many expecting this would be the end of the fight against the promotion and better fighter rights, pay, etc.
Instead, Judge Boulware denied the proposal and UFC responded with the following statement via press release.
We obviously disagree with this ruling and believe it disregards the expertise of counsel from both sides, as well as that of an accomplished and expert mediator — all of whom have decades of experience in antitrust case law.
It prevents the athletes from receiving what they have argued is in their best interest and unwinds an extensively negotiated settlement that, in the plaintiffs’ counsel’s own words, ‘would far surpass the typical antitrust class action settlement’ and ‘is an excellent result for the Settlement Classes by all traditional measures.’
Additionally, by taking the unusual step of denying the settlement at this preliminary approval stage, the Judge is also denying the athletes their right to be heard during this pivotal moment in the case.
As we have said throughout this process, we believe strongly in the merits of our cases and are evaluating all our options — including, without limitation, an appeal — and have initiated discussions with plaintiffs’ counsel who have expressed a willingness to engage in separate settlement discussions for the Le and Johnson cases.
So, what happens next? Well, another settlement could be attempted to be proposed and reached. Ultimately, Boulware’s decision maintains that the lawsuit will go to trial with the hope of ultimately changing fighter benefits for the better.