63-page complaint filed against UFC available here
63-page complaint filed against UFC available for download
Yesterday a 63-page complaint filed against the UFC was filed in US Federal Court and seeks Class Action status. The plaintiffs Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Nathan Quarry.
Whether the lawsuit is successful or not it will create a prolonged and focused audit of Zuffa’s business practices.
You can download or view the complaint at the link below.
le-v-zuffa-anti-trust-class-action-complaint
The lawsuit seeks significant damages and further seeks court orders prohibiting the UFC from engaging in further alleged anti competitive practices
The alleged anti-competitive practices include
- artificially reducing compensation for elite professional MMA fighters
- tying down their roster to long term exclusive contracts with little access to true free agency
- further tying down their most valued fighters through a “champion’s clause”
- artificially suppressing open market bidding through “right of first offer” and “right to match” clauses
- preventing fighters from financially benefiting from their reputations by obtaining Identity Rights in perpetuity
- imposing promotional obligations on their fighters with no additional compensation
- obtaining the rights of retired fighters in perpetuity
- tolling provisions which extend fighter contracts during periods of injury and retirement
- blocking sponsors from working with fighters through a “sponsorship and endorsement clause”
- eliminating actual or potential rivals
- relegating all remaining MMA promoters to ‘minor league’ status
- adding contractual ‘unilateral demotion in pay’ clauses
- unfairly threaten, intimidate and retaliate against MMA fighters who work with or for would be rivals
- Using exclusive contracts with fight venues and sponsors that “impair and foreclose would be rival MMA promoters”
