UFC Antitrust Battle Continues: Judge Sets 2025 Trial Date
In August 2024, a federal judge set Feb. 3, 2025, as the trial date for the fighters’ antitrust case against the UFC after rejecting a proposed $335 million settlement. That trial did not take place: the Le v. Zuffa case later settled for $375 million, with final approval in early 2025. A separate case involving later-era fighters remains distinct.
Why the 2024 trial date was set
The Le v. Zuffa lawsuit was brought by fighters including Cung Le and Nate Quarry. It alleged the UFC used its market power, exclusive contracts and acquisitions to limit competition for elite fighters and suppress their compensation. Those were allegations in the case, not findings that the UFC had violated antitrust law.
In March 2024, the parties proposed a $335 million settlement covering two groups of fighters. Judge Richard Boulware rejected preliminary approval in July, raising concerns that included the proposed distribution and the treatment of fighters covered by a second case. After a status conference on Aug. 19, he set the Le case for trial on Feb. 3, 2025, while leaving room for a revised settlement he would approve.
The case changed course
The scheduled trial never began. In September 2024, the UFC and plaintiffs in Le v. Zuffa reached a new $375 million settlement. The agreement covered fighters who competed in the UFC from 2010 through 2017; the court approved the settlement in early 2025. That settlement resolved the claims in the Le case without a trial verdict on the allegations.
A separate lawsuit brought by Kajan Johnson concerns fighters from 2017 onward and was not resolved by the Le settlement. It continues as a separate proceeding. The distinction matters: the rejected 2024 proposal had attempted to resolve both matters, but the later $375 million deal addressed Le v. Zuffa alone.
Why the case drew attention
The litigation put fighter compensation and bargaining power under scrutiny, with possible consequences for how the UFC contracts athletes. The 2024 trial date was a significant procedural step, but the eventual settlement meant the Le allegations were resolved by agreement rather than decided by a jury. The later-era claims remain a separate part of the legal story.
Sources: MMA Fighting on the Feb. 2025 trial setting; Associated Press on the revised $375 million agreement; MMA Fighting on final approval and the separate Johnson case; MMA Mania on the ongoing later-era antitrust cases in 2026.
Sources
Tags: MMA
