9th Circuit Court rejects UFC’s appeal to throw out billion-dollar antitrust lawsuit, trial likely starting in spring 2024

It appears that Le vs. Zuffa/UFC will likely be set for next spring.

While not receiving the coverage that it should, the UFC has been involved in an antitrust lawsuit since 2014. That year, Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and others filed the suit accusing the company of being a monopsony. The lawsuit alleged, among other things, that the company had bought out its competitors, directly leading to worse pay for fighters.

For nearly a decade, the lawsuit was slow-moving. That was until August when United States District Court Judge Richard Boulware certified the suit. Furthermore, the judge slammed the UFC and Dana White’s restrictive contracts, efforts to drive down fighter pay, and more.

With the move, fighters that competed in the UFC from December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017, were automatically enrolled in the lawsuit. While the bout class would include over a thousand athletes, the company did have some recourse. Following the move in August, they filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court to get the suit thrown out.

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However, the Ninth Circuit Court has rejected that appeal from the UFC. As first reported by John S. Nash of BloodyElbow, the judges looking over the case ruled in favor of the defendant in summary judgment. Meaning, that the two sides are likely going to be going to a trial next spring.

Obviously, the UFC could potentially reach a settlement with the fighters but has shown zero interest in doing so as of now. As previously reported, fighters in this case are seeking between $811 million to $1.6 billion in damages. However, if the plaintiffs score a knockout win in court because it is an antitrust case, those damages could be tripled.

What do you make of this news? Do you think the UFC will be majorly impacted by this news?