The UFC’s antitrust suit settlement has hit a speedbump.
In March, Ultimate Fighting Championship’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, agreed to pay $335 million to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits from more than 1,200 former fighters who accused the promotion of violating antitrust laws and suppressing wages.
Originally, the case was set to go to trial in April with the promotion potentially paying out as much as $1.6 billion in damages.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement to settle all claims asserted in both the [Cung] Le and [Kajan] Johnson class action lawsuits, bringing litigation to a close and benefiting all parties,” a UFC spokesman said in a statement to ESPN. “The final terms of the settlement will be submitted to the court for approval.”
However, a trial may still be in the UFC’s future after Judge Richard F. Boulware expressed concerns over the agreement a few weeks back and opted to push the settlement hearing to July 12.
Returning to the courtroom on Friday, Boulware once again exhibited serious concerns over the deal. Per a series of posts from reporter Josh Gross on X who was in the courtroom, Boulware revealed that he would deliver his ruling next week, but all signs seem to point toward the settlement being rejected.
If that happens, the UFC will have two options: 1) go back to the negotiating table and pony up more dough or 2) prepare for a trial by jury.
Check Out Josh Gross’ thread on the UFC Antitrust Settlement Hearing below:
