New UFC Antitrust Lawsuit

joy2day

Purple Belt
@purple
Joined
Aug 4, 2024
Messages
2,400
Reaction score
5,197
Link to article:



Not sure if this is brand new, not seeing other threads on it.

This is very interesting. It looks like their monopolistic practices may challenged by outside people.

The UFC is facing a new antitrust class-action lawsuit that argues the promotion's monosopsony powers financially harm all professional MMA fighters – not just those under contract with the UFC – and calls for an end to "the UFC's scheme."

Berger Montague, the lawfirm that secured a $375 million settlement against the UFC in February, filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, with former UFC and current PFL fighter Phil Davis named as the plaintiff. Zuffa LLC, TKO Group Holdings, which owns the UFC, and Endeavor Group Holdings are listed as the defendants.

Unlike the Le v. Zuffa lawsuit that was settled in February, the Davis lawsuit seeks to be certified with all-non UFC fighters represented and does not seek monetary damages. In a written statement, Berger Montague said it seeks an injunction to prevent the UFC "from continuing its allegedly illegal scheme" and aims to "create conditions for free and fair competition among professional MMA promotions which, in turn, would bolster their careers and pay of professional MMA fighters across the sport."

According to the lawsuit, "the UFC's scheme impairs professional MMA promotions like PFL in their ability to attract a critical mass of top-level MMA fighters necessary to compete with the UFC at the top tier of the sport of professional MMA, and otherwise substanstially forecloses competition in the markets relevant to this case. The UFC's scheme further restrains top-level fighters such as Mr. Davis from applying their trade by preventing these fighters from competing for titles in a free and unfettered market. As a result of the UFC's scheme, rival MMA promotions have been foreclosed and, as a result, would-be top-level MMA fighters at PFL and other non-UFC MMA promotions have had their careers impaired and their pay suppressed below the compensation that would prevail in a more competitive market."

The lawsuit seeks to eliminate an array of restrictive clauses from UFC contracts and requests that fighters have the ability to terminate their contracts without penalty after one year.

"The suit alleges that the UFC impairs the ability of would-be UFC competitors to attract a critical mass of top-level MMA fighters necessary to compete with the UFC at the top tier of the sport," Eric Cramer, lead attorney for Berger Montague, said in a statement. "We intend to prove that the UFC engaged in a predatory scheme to undermine would-be competitors to the UFC, which the suit claims had the effect of maintaining and enhancing the UFC's dominance, and thereby impairing the careers and pay not just of the UFC's own fighters, but also of professional MMA fighters like Mr. Davis competing for MMA promotions across the MMA industry."
 
Last edited:
Unlike the Le v. Zuffa lawsuit that was settled in February, the Davis lawsuit seeks to be certified with all-non UFC fighters represented and does not seek monetary damages. In a written statement, Berger Montague said it seeks an injunction to prevent the UFC "from continuing its allegedly illegal scheme" and aims to "create conditions for free and fair competition among professional MMA promotions which, in turn, would bolster their careers and pay of professional MMA fighters across the sport."
Oh so it's a waste of money trying to sucker fighters into paying legal costs, gotcha.
This firm is going to try to make the rest of it's existence based on suing the UFC lmao

How exactly would that, for lack of conjunction, "injunction," function?

Defense is gonna throw out Frank making a supposed $10m from PFL, and this is probably done.
 
I miss LieBertarians screeching about the supposed "free market"... 🤡

Some serious circular logic in that video. Apparently Reich has never heard of black markets, and that the very topic he attempts to analyze at the end is by very definition, not a free market.
 
Just last week ago there was a thread about remembering Phil Davis, what happened to him, and now he’s back at the front of a lawsuit against the ufc lol
 
Some serious circular logic in that video. Apparently Reich has never heard of black markets, and that the very topic he attempts to analyze at the end is by very definition, not a free market.
What made you go full retard and insert "black markets" into the conversation?? Are you just triggered by the guy in the video, or do you hate lemonade stands & people who avoid paying taxes?? Do you also enjoy Americans being locked up for smoking/selling the pot??

Anywho; thanks for self identifying 🤡
 
Not a black thing. Phil was overpaid in Bellator and lost his golden goose wont find another.
 
I hate it when good fighters lock into a lengthy UFC contract. 5 or 6 fight deal could easily turn into 6 year prison sentence if a fighter doesn't get that Dana privilege or gets trapped in a division topped by a fighter with it. They are one-way deals structured entirely in the UFC's favour, so this whole "job security, long-term stability" is bullshit. A fighter can't hold the UFC to terms, but can be cut at any time, for any reason the UFC wants.

Great fighters would be worth more being free agents every single fight rather than lick the UFC's boot in a long-term deal. Give the UFC one fight at a time. All a fighter has to do is perform well and it will guarantee another call. Fighters doing one-fight deals takes away from the UFC they want more than anything else, which is power and control.

i am all for anything that gets top fighters fighting more frequently. If this lead to the UFC having to ease their contract restrictions, I'm in. Fighters could dip out, score a fight or two in PFL, then zip on back over the UFC if they decided to ante up.
 
Back
Top