Former UFC Fighters Initiate New Antitrust Legal Action Against the Organization
MMA/Sports

Former UFC Fighters Initiate New Antitrust Legal Action Against the Organization

Phil Davis and Misha Cirkunov have filed distinct antitrust lawsuits against the UFC, asserting restrictions that harm fair competition in the sport.

UFC’s legal disputes continue as two more antitrust lawsuits have emerged against the organization within the past week, following the settlement of a previous antitrust lawsuit.

On Thursday, former UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis spearheaded new antitrust accusations against the UFC in the U.S. District Court in Nevada. This lawsuit, instigated by the Berger Montague law firm — which also represented fighters in a recently resolved case — represents former UFC fighter Kajan Johnson in the ongoing lawsuit as well.

The filed suit names Zuffa LLC, TKO Group Holdings, and Endeavor Group Holdings as defendants, alleging the UFC’s illegal attempts to stifle competition impact the ability of non-UFC fighters to earn fair wages.

“The suit claims that the UFC inhibits potential competitors’ capability to assemble a significant group of top-tier MMA fighters essential to genuinely compete with the UFC at the forefront of the sport,” stated Eric Cramer, the lead attorney for the fighters, in a press release distributed by ESPN.

Davis, now 40, is currently part of the Professional Fighters League, competing for a share of the $500,000 light heavyweight tournament prize after previously fighting in the UFC from 2010 to 2015 before moving to Bellator. He conveyed in a statement, “I proudly advocate for professional MMA fighters to dismantle the UFC’s monopolistic grip on the entire sport.”

The newly filed lawsuits also seek to allow fighters to disregard a promotional contract without penalty after one year, a significant shift from the existing contracts which typically carry a set number of bouts over an undefined timeframe. Extra motions relating to the Johnson case are scheduled for a hearing on June 3.

For further details, please consult CBS Sports’ outreach to the UFC for their position on these allegations.

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