Nevada district court judge denies settlement between the UFC and former fighters

A Nevada district judge denied a $335 million settlement Tuesday in two UFC antitrust lawsuits brought by former fighters, potentially sending both sides back to the negotiating table.

Judge Richard Boulware set Aug. 19 for a status update for both cases with a tentative trial date on Oct. 28. A firm trial date will be scheduled at the conference.

Boulware did not explain his decision, but an opinion will be forthcoming, according to the court document.

The settlement was agreed to in March.

The two class-action lawsuits by former UFC fighters were led by Cung Le, filed in 2014, and Kajan Johnson, filed in 2021. Several other fighters also were mentioned in the suits.

They alleged the UFC attempted to act as a monopoly and thus limited the fighters’ ability to maximize their earnings.

“We have a story to tell about the monopolization of MMA,” Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association, led by one of the attorneys, posted on X .

The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.