- The $375 million UFC antitrust lawsuit settlement has been approved by the judge
- The judge was reportedly swayed by the fighters’ health issues in their declarations
The judge handling the UFC antitrust lawsuit has finally approved the $375 million settlement after being moved by the fighters’ health updates.
The settlement has been approved
On Tuesday, Judge Richard Boulware has preliminarily approved the updated terms of the UFC Antitrust lawsuit settlement. The approval came after the promotion agreed to settle the $375 million with the plaintiffs.
The original settlement agreement was $335 million but it has now ballooned to $375 million. The lawsuit settlement covers UFC fighters from 2010 to 2017.
Forbes Paul Gift reported that the expected net figure of the aforementioned settlement is $260 million after fees. However, the lawyers’ fees have yet to be deducted from it.
“The Cung Le antitrust settlement is preliminarily APPROVED. Over the next year the #UFC will pay out approx $240-260 million to Zuffa fighters from Dec 2010 – June 2017. The net number after fees was $260M in court but lawyer costs were unclear,” Gift wrote on X.
The Cung Le antitrust settlement is preliminarily APPROVED. Over the next year the #UFC will pay out approx $240-260 million to Zuffa fighters from Dec 2010 – June 2017.
The net number after fees was $260M in court but lawyer costs were unclear.
— Paul Gift (@MMAanalytics) October 22, 2024
The declarations swayed the judge
In recent weeks, a number of former UFC fighters came forward with their declarations. In it, UFC legends such as Wanderlei Silva and Fabricio Werdum mentioned that they are possibly suffering from CTE. Moreover, the fighters’ plead for the approval of the settlement as they need the money to fund their treatment.
UFC antitrust news. 51 more declarations filed (107 total now I believe) in support of the Le v Zuffa settlement, including from former champs Lyoto Machida and Fabricio Werdum. pic.twitter.com/qjs1PlXxES
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) October 11, 2024
While Judge Boulware didn’t exactly noted that the approval was due to the declarations presented to him, it was reportedly a “significant factor” in his decision.
Another lawsuit which covers fighters in contract with the UFC from June 2017 onwards awaits approval from the judge. However, it hasn’t made any dramatic progress yet at this point.
