UFC Agrees to Settle For $375 Million in Antitrust Lawsuit Brought By Fighters

The settlement is pending the approval of a judge.
Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena.
Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After an arduous legal process, the UFC and a group of fighters led by retired middleweight Cung Le appear to have reached an antitrust settlement.

"On Sept. 26, 2024, TKO (the UFC's parent company) reached an agreement with the plaintiffs to settle all claims asserted in the Le case for an aggregate amount of $375 million payable in installments over an agreed-upon period of time by the company and its subsidiaries," a Thursday morning SEC filing read, via MMA journalist John S. Nash.

The settlement—which would be worth substantially more than a previous settlement offer rejected by Nevada district Judge Richard Boulware in July—is pending Boulware's approval.

Le sued the UFC in Dec. 2014 in tandem with fellow fighters Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry, accusing the company of anti-competitive practices. That lawsuit and several further lawsuits were eventually bundled into one under Le's name.

A second antitrust lawsuit brought by Canadian ex-lightweight Kajan Johnson remains outstanding, with the UFC's parent company seeking a motion to dismiss. Both Johnson and Le's lawsuits would have been covered by the previous settlement agreement; only Le's is covered by Thursday's.


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Patrick Andres

PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .