Midnight Mania: $375 Million UFC Antitrust Settlement Scores Preliminary Approval

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There’s been a major update to the Le vs. Zuffa class action lawsuit. Both sides initially agreed to a $335 million settlement back in March, but Judge Richard Boulware of Nevada initially rejected that number. After reaching a new agreement, that number swelled to a $375 million settlement. Earlier on Tuesday, Judge Boulware preliminarily approved the new number, meaning fighters who competed in the Octagon from December 2010 to June 2017 are now lined up to receive a significant payout. The initial report came via Forbes’ Paul Gift, who was in attendance.

Aside from the increased payout, there were a couple other differences between the denied and approved settlements. For one, this new settlement separates out some plaintiffs from the a second lawsuit, Johnson vs. Zuffa, which covers athletes after that June 2017 end point. The suit is expected to play out in the courts over the next few years.

A notable story from the last month has been the horrifying fighter stories revealed in the courtroom declarations, in which former UFC fighters pleaded their case for the judge to accept the settlement number. In many cases, athletes were revealing severe health conditions, which explained why their priority was to get paid now rather than delay further in the hopes of a larger settlement. These health updates have been consistently unfortunate and hard to read, and they were named as a “significant factor” in Judge Boulware’s decision. All told, over 100 fighters wrote letters in support of the settlement, primarily citing health issues and an urgent need of the funds.

Still, final approval is required before the lawsuit is truly settled.

It’s worth noting that UFC contract structure remains unchanged, which is why the settlement is also viewed as a win for the promotion as well. $375 million isn’t chump change, but it’s also a far cry from the multiple billions that the lawsuit was previously pursuing. Perhaps the Johnson vs. Zuffa will go after more of that pie, but there’s also still a chance that case is dismissed outright.

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