Judge grants preliminary approval of $375M settlement in UFC antitrust lawsuit

A settlement in one of two antitrust lawsuits against the UFC was preliminarily approved.

Judge Richard Boulware of the U.S. District Court of Nevada granted preliminary approval Tuesday of the $375-million settlement in the Le v. Zuffa class-action lawsuit.

After fees and lawyer costs, the UFC will pay out approximately $240-260 million over the next year to fighters who competed in the promotion between December 2010 and June 2017, according to Forbes' Paul Gift.

Eric Cramer, the plaintiffs' lead attorney, said he is "extremely pleased" with the settlement's preliminary approval.

"It is a monumental achievement that will get significant relief to hundreds of deserving MMA fighters," Cramer said in a statement to MMA Fighting's Damon Martin. "We honor our brave representative plaintiffs who fought for this result for 10 years."

The lawsuit - which dates back to 2014 and is led by a group of former fighters, including Cung Le - alleges that the UFC used unfair business practices "to acquire and maintain monopsony power" in the sport.

TKO Group - the UFC's parent company - and the Le v. Zuffa plaintiffs reached a new agreement in September after Boulware initially denied a $335-million settlement that also included plaintiffs from a second lawsuit, Johnson v. Zuffa, in July.

"Today's decision is welcome news for both parties," the UFC said in a statement to Martin. "We are pleased to be another step closer to bringing the Le case to a close."

Over 100 former UFC fighters - including Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Diego Sanchez - wrote letters in support of the $375-million settlement in recent weeks. Many said they needed relief from the financial, physical, and mental struggles that came after their careers ended.

Boulware said the fighters' statements played a "quite significant" role in his decision, according to MMA reporter Josh Gross.

A hearing for the settlement's final approval will be held in the coming months, per MMA Junkie's Nolan King.

The second lawsuit against the UFC - filed by former fighter Kajan Johnson in 2021 - remains pending and could last for several more years. It includes fighters who competed in the UFC from July 2017 to present day. That case seeks injunctive relief, which could, in theory, lead to the UFC making changes to its contracts and business practices.

"We look forward to pursuing significant business changes and more damages in our second antitrust case against the UFC," Cramer said.