Ex-UFC fighters C.B. Dollaway, Kajan Johnson file new lawsuit against UFC and Endeavor

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A new lawsuit led by ex-UFC fighters C.B. Dollaway and Kajan Johnson has been filed in federal district court in Nevada against the UFC and the company’s primary owner, Endeavor Group Holdings.

According to Berger-Montague, one of the law firms representing the fighters, the new filing is similar to the ongoing class-action lawsuit led by fighters such as Cung Le, Nate Quarry, Jon Fitch and Kyle Kingsbury.

“The lawsuit filed by Johnson and Dollaway alleges that Zuffa violated antitrust laws by paying UFC fighters far less than they were entitled to receive and eliminating or hurting other MMA promoters,” representatives of the lawsuit said in a statement. “The class period ultimately proposed by the plaintiffs in the Le action closed on June 30, 2017. Plaintiffs Johnson and Dollaway bring this case on behalf of those like themselves who fought in a bout promoted by the UFC on or after July 1, 2017.”

Back in December 2020, Judge Richard F. Boulware, a U.S. District Court Judge for Nevada, indicated that the court would grant class certification to the fighters seeking damages against the UFC in the lawsuit previously filed. That would mean the number of potential plaintiffs would increase from the initial fighters named in the lawsuit to “all persons who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the United States from Dec. 16, 2010 to June 30, 2017.”

Fighters in that time period have the choice to opt in or out of the lawsuit if the class is certified.

“By filing this action, we are bringing the proposed class period forward to also cover all fighters who competed in bouts between June 30, 2017 and the present,” Eric L. Cramer, one of the lead attorneys working on the lawsuit, said in a statement.

Much like the previous lawsuit, the new filing alleges the UFC and Endeavor engaged in several anti-competitive practices that ultimately hurts the athletes including:

1 ) Locking fighters into long-term, exclusive contracts which, the fighters say, prevents them from competing elsewhere;

2 ) Using its market dominance to coerce fighters to re-sign contracts, allegedly making the contracts effectively perpetual and preventing fighters from reaching free agency; and

3 ) Acquiring and then closing down other MMA promoters that threatened the UFC’s dominance.

The accusations against the UFC allege that because the promotion was acting as a monopoly (where a single seller of goods and services controls the market) and a monopsony (where a single buyer of goods and services controls the market), wages for MMA fighters were stifled and kept low. The previous lawsuit presented evidence that fighters in the UFC typically only share in about 20 percent of the revenue generated by the promotion, which is far less than athletes competing in other major sports leagues such as the NFL or NBA, where the revenue sharing is around 50 percent.

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said i

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said in a statement. “Every time we step into that octagon, we leave a piece of ourselves behind.

“The UFC should have to pay us competitive compensation for our services, just like professional athletes in other sports get paid based on competitive markets.”

Dollaway fought in 20 bouts for the UFC between 2008 and 2018, while Johnson was on the roster from 2014 to 2018. During his time in the UFC, Johnson was an outspoken advocate for fighters’ rights and joined Project Spearhead’s efforts to organize them.

While Judge Boulware previously indicated that he intended to give the original lawsuit class certification, no official filing has been made yet, and that keeps everything on hold for now. It’s very likely the UFC would then file an appeal to the class certification. That could potentially tie up the lawsuit for several years as it winds its way through the court system.

The law firms representing the fighters are Berger Montague PC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, The Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc., Kemp Jones LLP, and Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC.

https://www.mmafighting.com/platfor...&utm_source=twitter&__twitter_impression=true
 
016_CB_Dolloway.0.jpg


A new lawsuit led by ex-UFC fighters C.B. Dollaway and Kajan Johnson has been filed in federal district court in Nevada against the UFC and the company’s primary owner, Endeavor Group Holdings.

According to Berger-Montague, one of the law firms representing the fighters, the new filing is similar to the ongoing class-action lawsuit led by fighters such as Cung Le, Nate Quarry, Jon Fitch and Kyle Kingsbury.

“The lawsuit filed by Johnson and Dollaway alleges that Zuffa violated antitrust laws by paying UFC fighters far less than they were entitled to receive and eliminating or hurting other MMA promoters,” representatives of the lawsuit said in a statement. “The class period ultimately proposed by the plaintiffs in the Le action closed on June 30, 2017. Plaintiffs Johnson and Dollaway bring this case on behalf of those like themselves who fought in a bout promoted by the UFC on or after July 1, 2017.”

Back in December 2020, Judge Richard F. Boulware, a U.S. District Court Judge for Nevada, indicated that the court would grant class certification to the fighters seeking damages against the UFC in the lawsuit previously filed. That would mean the number of potential plaintiffs would increase from the initial fighters named in the lawsuit to “all persons who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the United States from Dec. 16, 2010 to June 30, 2017.”

Fighters in that time period have the choice to opt in or out of the lawsuit if the class is certified.

“By filing this action, we are bringing the proposed class period forward to also cover all fighters who competed in bouts between June 30, 2017 and the present,” Eric L. Cramer, one of the lead attorneys working on the lawsuit, said in a statement.

Much like the previous lawsuit, the new filing alleges the UFC and Endeavor engaged in several anti-competitive practices that ultimately hurts the athletes including:

1 ) Locking fighters into long-term, exclusive contracts which, the fighters say, prevents them from competing elsewhere;

2 ) Using its market dominance to coerce fighters to re-sign contracts, allegedly making the contracts effectively perpetual and preventing fighters from reaching free agency; and

3 ) Acquiring and then closing down other MMA promoters that threatened the UFC’s dominance.

The accusations against the UFC allege that because the promotion was acting as a monopoly (where a single seller of goods and services controls the market) and a monopsony (where a single buyer of goods and services controls the market), wages for MMA fighters were stifled and kept low. The previous lawsuit presented evidence that fighters in the UFC typically only share in about 20 percent of the revenue generated by the promotion, which is far less than athletes competing in other major sports leagues such as the NFL or NBA, where the revenue sharing is around 50 percent.

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said i

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said in a statement. “Every time we step into that octagon, we leave a piece of ourselves behind.

“The UFC should have to pay us competitive compensation for our services, just like professional athletes in other sports get paid based on competitive markets.”

Dollaway fought in 20 bouts for the UFC between 2008 and 2018, while Johnson was on the roster from 2014 to 2018. During his time in the UFC, Johnson was an outspoken advocate for fighters’ rights and joined Project Spearhead’s efforts to organize them.

While Judge Boulware previously indicated that he intended to give the original lawsuit class certification, no official filing has been made yet, and that keeps everything on hold for now. It’s very likely the UFC would then file an appeal to the class certification. That could potentially tie up the lawsuit for several years as it winds its way through the court system.

The law firms representing the fighters are Berger Montague PC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, The Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc., Kemp Jones LLP, and Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC.

https://www.mmafighting.com/platfor...&utm_source=twitter&__twitter_impression=true

they should talk to bellator prelim fighters to see how they are misstreated 2.
 
Wouldn’t unionization be a better use of time?
Ex-UFC fighters suing the company once they're no longer signed is a cash grab, but unionization won't get them a payoff like a lawsuit would.

The only time active UFC fighters ever attempted to organize, all of them were just using it for their contract negotiations.
 
Why file a new one? So dumb just join the other one that is farther along in the process and has several fighters on board
 
Something you guys should know

“The 2019 Carlton Fields Class Action Surveyreports that settlement rates for class actions continue to rise, up to 73.1% in 2018 from 70.8% the previous year. More than half of settlements typically occur before a class certification. Thirty-nine percent of matters filed as class actions are settled on an individual basis. Only 2% of cases filed as class actions go to trial.

https://classifiedclassaction.com/c...s-are-settled-when-do-most-settlements-occur/
 
Wouldn’t unionization be a better use of time?

Exactly. These lawsuits always give me a laugh. Total amateur hour, but the lawyers are happy to roll the dice, I suppose.

They allege that the UFC forces them to sign contracts at below their deserved pay and thus keep them from making more elsewhere. Eh... let's take a glance at the relative pay scale between Bellator and the UFC, top to bottom (top star vs top star, and prelim fighters vs prelim fighters).

I'm not arguing against the justification for their cause, but I don't see that there is really any evidence that they "deserve" whatever it is they think they deserve, and basicslly every other labor law or standard of pay in other industries has been earned via either unionization and lengthy battles, or supply and demand.
 
Why file a new one? So dumb just join the other one that is farther along in the process and has several fighters on board


Didn't read the article, huh?
 
Bunch of crybabies. Literally the ufc is the reason any1 even knows who they are. None of them were ever a draw or have any following what so ever. You dont earn the big bucks without bringing in the big bucks (ticket sales, ppv buys, views etc). I find it funny this group of people couldnt sell out a arena giving out free tickets if they tried yet they cry about the ufc not paying a fortune.
 
Lulz. Didn’t have the nuts to speak up or unionize when they were UFC fighters.

Pay attention WWEFC fighters: they ran Anderson Silva’s marketability into the ground the very second age caught up to him. If they’ll do that to him they'll do worse to you.
If these guys want change they need to demand it when times are good. Not when times are tough.

But hey anyone who wants to be paid more than a McDonald’s shift manager is a duck, right shertards?
 
Why file a new one? So dumb just join the other one that is farther along in the process and has several fighters on board
There is statue of limitations on that lawsuit. Only fighters during a certain time frame qualify.
There is also a 4-year statute of limitations on antitrust violations.
Wouldn’t unionization be a better use of time?
Kajun tried that and thinks he got released for it. At any rate, unionization is really hard in mma, even a PA is hard. Next to impossible in terms of practicality.
I'm not arguing against the justification for their cause, but I don't see that there is really any evidence that they "deserve" whatever it is they think they deserve, and basicslly every other labor law or standard of pay in other industries has been earned via either unionization and lengthy battles, or supply and demand.
So you missed that it's an anti-trust case pretty much is what you're saying?
Didn’t have the nuts to speak up or unionize when they were UFC fighters.
Kajun did actually.
 
016_CB_Dolloway.0.jpg


A new lawsuit led by ex-UFC fighters C.B. Dollaway and Kajan Johnson has been filed in federal district court in Nevada against the UFC and the company’s primary owner, Endeavor Group Holdings.

According to Berger-Montague, one of the law firms representing the fighters, the new filing is similar to the ongoing class-action lawsuit led by fighters such as Cung Le, Nate Quarry, Jon Fitch and Kyle Kingsbury.

“The lawsuit filed by Johnson and Dollaway alleges that Zuffa violated antitrust laws by paying UFC fighters far less than they were entitled to receive and eliminating or hurting other MMA promoters,” representatives of the lawsuit said in a statement. “The class period ultimately proposed by the plaintiffs in the Le action closed on June 30, 2017. Plaintiffs Johnson and Dollaway bring this case on behalf of those like themselves who fought in a bout promoted by the UFC on or after July 1, 2017.”

Back in December 2020, Judge Richard F. Boulware, a U.S. District Court Judge for Nevada, indicated that the court would grant class certification to the fighters seeking damages against the UFC in the lawsuit previously filed. That would mean the number of potential plaintiffs would increase from the initial fighters named in the lawsuit to “all persons who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the United States from Dec. 16, 2010 to June 30, 2017.”

Fighters in that time period have the choice to opt in or out of the lawsuit if the class is certified.

“By filing this action, we are bringing the proposed class period forward to also cover all fighters who competed in bouts between June 30, 2017 and the present,” Eric L. Cramer, one of the lead attorneys working on the lawsuit, said in a statement.

Much like the previous lawsuit, the new filing alleges the UFC and Endeavor engaged in several anti-competitive practices that ultimately hurts the athletes including:

1 ) Locking fighters into long-term, exclusive contracts which, the fighters say, prevents them from competing elsewhere;

2 ) Using its market dominance to coerce fighters to re-sign contracts, allegedly making the contracts effectively perpetual and preventing fighters from reaching free agency; and

3 ) Acquiring and then closing down other MMA promoters that threatened the UFC’s dominance.

The accusations against the UFC allege that because the promotion was acting as a monopoly (where a single seller of goods and services controls the market) and a monopsony (where a single buyer of goods and services controls the market), wages for MMA fighters were stifled and kept low. The previous lawsuit presented evidence that fighters in the UFC typically only share in about 20 percent of the revenue generated by the promotion, which is far less than athletes competing in other major sports leagues such as the NFL or NBA, where the revenue sharing is around 50 percent.

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said i

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said in a statement. “Every time we step into that octagon, we leave a piece of ourselves behind.

“The UFC should have to pay us competitive compensation for our services, just like professional athletes in other sports get paid based on competitive markets.”

Dollaway fought in 20 bouts for the UFC between 2008 and 2018, while Johnson was on the roster from 2014 to 2018. During his time in the UFC, Johnson was an outspoken advocate for fighters’ rights and joined Project Spearhead’s efforts to organize them.

While Judge Boulware previously indicated that he intended to give the original lawsuit class certification, no official filing has been made yet, and that keeps everything on hold for now. It’s very likely the UFC would then file an appeal to the class certification. That could potentially tie up the lawsuit for several years as it winds its way through the court system.

The law firms representing the fighters are Berger Montague PC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, The Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc., Kemp Jones LLP, and Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC.

https://www.mmafighting.com/platfor...&utm_source=twitter&__twitter_impression=true

22d9689453caf1cd8e4da60495038966.gif


Good luck, they gonna need it
 
I understand why these fighters would want to seek compensation for life altering brain injuries (among other injuries) that they likely got over the course of their MMA career, but I also think their approach doesn't have a lot of legs to stand on legally. The football lawsuit had traction because NFL is a monopoly. You have the NFL who runs professionals and then you have the NCAA that runs the amateurs (lets just ignore Canadian & European football leagues right now). So when those players sued the NFL, it made sense, they really only played for one league professionally. But these fighters fight for a ton of organizations, some good, some decent, some terrible; Yet they only go after the most popular and biggest one b/c in the end, all they really want is money (and I'm sure some of them care about keeping future fighters safe too, but ultimately it's cash they want). Take Kajan Johnson, he has 38 career fights only 7 of them were in the UFC and yet his lawsuit is against the UFC and their parent company but doesn't include any of the other 17 other sh*tty little companies he worked for that probably were a lot less careless about his health. I just think its a very tough uphill climb for these lawsuits against the UFC because how can one prove that all of their damage was strictly from that organization and not others, or from training? Too many factors.
 
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