Judge denies preliminary $335M UFC settlement

The UFC decried a judge’s ruling that rejected the terms of a $335 million settlement reached between the mixed martial arts promotion and current and former fighters that would have resolved an antitrust case.

U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware, serving the District of Nevada, announced Tuesday that the antitrust suit would proceed, with a court conference set for Aug. 19 and the trial tentatively set to begin Oct. 28.

Details of the ruling have yet to be released, but multiple media outlets reported that the judge felt the plaintiffs weren’t receiving enough compensation. Should the case go to court, a win by the plaintiffs reportedly could result in a multi-billion-dollar payout, while a win by the UFC could see the fighters get nothing.

The case involves separate lawsuits headed by fighters Cung Le and Kajan Johnson.

The UFC responded to the settlement rejection with a statement on Wednesday.

“We obviously disagree with this ruling and believe it disregards the expertise of counsel from both sides, as well as that of an accomplished and expert mediator — all of whom have decades of experience in antitrust case law,” the UFC wrote. “It prevents the athletes from receiving what they have argued is in their best interest and unwinds an extensively negotiated settlement that, in the plaintiffs’ counsel’s own words, ‘would far surpass the typical antitrust class action settlement’ and ‘is an excellent result for the Settlement Classes by all traditional measures.’

“Additionally, by taking the unusual step of denying the settlement at this preliminary approval stage, the Judge is also denying the athletes their right to be heard during this pivotal moment in the case. As we have said throughout this process, we believe strongly in the merits of our cases and are evaluating all our options — including, without limitation, an appeal — and have initiated discussions with plaintiffs’ counsel who have expressed a willingness to engage in separate settlement discussions for the Le and Johnson cases.

Eric Cramer, a lawyer for the fighters suing the UFC, said in a statement issued to MMAfighting.com, “Plaintiffs respect the Court’s ruling rejecting the proposed global resolution of the Le and Johnson cases, and accordingly will be moving forward full speed on all fronts as directed by the Court. We now plan on ramping up preparations in Le for the imminent trial, and also will begin pressing forward with discovery in Johnson.

“At the same time, with the interests of our clients and the classes at the forefront, we are also open to reengaging with the UFC to see whether the parties could reach a settlement building off of the momentum achieved in the prior settlement, but working to satisfy the Court’s expressed concerns with that resolution.”

–Field Level Media