Tag: class action lawsuits

Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza File New Class-Action Lawsuit Against UFC


(Photo by Paolo Seen/Rappler.com)

According to a Christmas Eve report from BloodyElbow, former UFC fighters Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza have filed an antitrust class-action suit against UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC. The complaint was filed in the California Northern District Court, and assigned to Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.

This is the third such antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC, following the high-profile first attack from Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, and the quieter follow-up from Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez. BloodyElbow reports that the fighters in all three suits are being “represented by legal counsel from the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc, Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC, and the Law Office of Frederick S. Schwartz.”

Brandon Vera spent the bulk of his (mostly disappointing) MMA career competing for the UFC, compiling an 8-7 record with one no-contest from 2005-2013. News of his UFC release was officially announced in June of this year, although he hadn’t fought under the UFC banner since his TKO loss to Ben Rothwell the previous August. Earlier this month, Vera spoke out about the lack of respect he felt during the end of his relationship with the UFC, then soccer-kicked the bejesus out of some dude in the Philippines.


(Photo by Paolo Seen/Rappler.com)

According to a Christmas Eve report from BloodyElbow, former UFC fighters Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza have filed an antitrust class-action suit against UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC. The complaint was filed in the California Northern District Court, and assigned to Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.

This is the third such antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC, following the high-profile first attack from Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, and the quieter follow-up from Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez. BloodyElbow reports that the fighters in all three suits are being “represented by legal counsel from the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc, Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC, and the Law Office of Frederick S. Schwartz.”

Brandon Vera spent the bulk of his (mostly disappointing) MMA career competing for the UFC, compiling an 8-7 record with one no-contest from 2005-2013. News of his UFC release was officially announced in June of this year, although he hadn’t fought under the UFC banner since his TKO loss to Ben Rothwell the previous August. Earlier this month, Vera spoke out about the lack of respect he felt during the end of his relationship with the UFC, then soccer-kicked the bejesus out of some dude in the Philippines.

Pablo Garza cobbled together a 3-3 record in the UFC from 2010-2013, earning a Knockout of the Night bonus in his first fight against Fredson Paixao, a Submission of the Night bonus in his second fight against Yves Jabouin, and an upset decision win against Mark Hominick back in November 2012. He was cut from the promotion after being choked out by Diego Brandao in April 2013.

At the time, Garza’s release seemed somewhat premature — but it’s possible that the UFC was looking for a reason to get rid of him. Garza posted an update on Facebook last week that included this damning accusation: “Back in 2012 all ufc fighters were asked to sign a petition saying that the Ufc isnt a monopoly and that fighter are treated fairly. I was one of the few who chose not to sign it.”

And now, Vera and Garza join the legal mass-attack against the UFC that will become a major storyline in 2015. More ex-UFC fighters will surely file similar class-action suits (or join existing ones) in the near future, and we’ll keep you posted as that happens.

Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez File Their Own Class-Action Lawsuit Against the UFC…With the Same Lawyers as the Other One


(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:


(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.

Class Action Lawsuit Against UFC to Be Announced Today at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET


(This image is a placeholder, and will be replaced with a more relevant image as soon as we know what the lawsuit is actually about.)

The reported class-action lawsuit against the UFC filed by current and former fighters will be officially announced this afternoon. The communications firm Turner4D sent a notice to CagePotato.com and other MMA media entities yesterday afternoon, stating that the plaintiffs’ names and other details will be provided during a news conference beginning at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET. The conference will be held at Hyatt Place San Jose/Downtown in San Jose, California. Autograph seekers are advised to wait by the bar and act cool.

CagePotato will be listening in to the proceedings via telephone machine, and we’ll type out important updates about the UFC class-action lawsuit below as we get them. Stay tuned, you guys. #TheTimeIsNow

– Even before the call starts, Greg Savage of Sherdog passes along some info: “The civil action is [titled] Cung Le, et al v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC…Media packet states that Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry are the participants in the suit…The case was filed today in the Northern District of California in San Jose. It seeks treble damages and injunctive relief under the Sherman Antitrust Act.”


(This image is a placeholder, and will be replaced with a more relevant image as soon as we know what the lawsuit is actually about.)

The reported class-action lawsuit against the UFC filed by current and former fighters will be officially announced this afternoon. The communications firm Turner4D sent a notice to CagePotato.com and other MMA media entities yesterday afternoon, stating that the plaintiffs’ names and other details will be provided during a news conference beginning at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET. The conference will be held at Hyatt Place San Jose/Downtown in San Jose, California. Autograph seekers are advised to wait by the bar and act cool.

CagePotato will be listening in to the proceedings via telephone machine, and we’ll type out important updates about the UFC class-action lawsuit below as we get them. Stay tuned, you guys. #TheTimeIsNow

– Even before the call starts, Greg Savage of Sherdog passes along some info: “The civil action is [titled] Cung Le, et al v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC…Media packet states that Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry are the participants in the suit…The case was filed today in the Northern District of California in San Jose. It seeks treble damages and injunctive relief under the Sherman Antitrust Act.”