UFC agrees $335m payment to former fighters as lawsuits settled before court case

Two anti-trust lawsuits filed against the UFC had sought up to $1.6 billion in damages

The UFC's parent company TKO Group has agreed a $335m (£263m) settlement on two lawsuits with a group representing about 1,200 former UFC athletes.

The group of former fighters claimed the UFC's contracts suppressed athletes' abilities to negotiate other promotional options.

The anti-trust lawsuits had sought up to $1.6bn (£1.25bn) in damages.

A court case that been scheduled to start on 15 April will now not be required.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement to settle all claims asserted in both the Le and Johnson class action lawsuits, bringing litigation to a close and benefiting all parties," said a UFC spokesman.

"The final terms of the settlement will be submitted to the court for approval."

Five separate lawsuits between 2014 and 2015 had been consolidated into one, with a second separate lawsuit filed in 2021.

The group of former fighters, who all fought in UFC bouts between 2010 and 2017, were headed by Cung Le, Kyle Kingsbury, Kajan Johnson, Brandon Vera, and others.

The group wrote on X: "We are pleased with the settlement and will disclose more when we file with the court in 45-60 days."

The UFC merged with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2023 to form the TKO Group.