(Dennis Hallman is the 72-fight MMA veteran who made his UFC debut with a win over Matt Hughes back in the SEG era. Javier Vazquez is the guy in this gif who isn’t Chad Mendes. / Photo via MMAWeekly)
While doing more research on the class-action lawsuit filed against the UFC last week, Bloody Elbow’s John Nash came across something strange. A second, nearly identical class-action lawsuit against the UFC was filed yesterday, with MMA vets Dennis Hallman and Javier Vasquez listed as plaintiffs:
The fighters named are asking to be representatives for their class in lawsuit that accuses the UFC of an “overarching anticompetitive scheme to maintain and enhance its (a) monopoly power in the market for promotion of live Elite Professional mixed martial arts (“MMA”) bouts,1 and (b) monopsony power in the market for live Elite Professional MMA Fighter services.”
They are also represented by the same legal counsel that are representing Le, Quarry, and Fitch.
That last detail makes this particularly odd. Because why wouldn’t Hallman and Vasquez just join forces with the first lawsuit to begin with? Reddit user hulking_menace offers one possible explanation:
If the class is certified I’d imagine they’ll be combined at that point. In the meantime I’d assume there’s a strategic reason for separate filings. I’m no civil attorney, but off the top of my head perhaps this gets the same case in front of multiple judges, so if one judge doesn’t like the claim another might be more persuaded.
Huh. So this is basically the legal equivalent of having your wife stand in one grocery store checkout line while you stand in another, and if she gets to her cashier first, you rush over with your stuff or something? I don’t know, man. I’m no grocery store expert. But we’ll update you when we know more.