New trial date set for UFC antitrust lawsuit

Former fighters are suing the UFC

The antitrust lawsuit against the UFC will take place on 3 February 2025, a judge in Nevada has ordered.

In March the UFC's parent company the TKO Group agreed a £262m ($335m) settlement in two lawsuits that represented about 1,200 former UFC athletes.

Judge Richard Boulware rejected the settlement and said the figure was too low.

The new trial will take place next year unless Judge Boulware approves a preliminary settlement agreement between the parties.

There are two separate lawsuits, one filed by fighters Cung Le and Nate Quarry in 2014 representing fighters from 2010 to 2017, and a second filed by fighters including Kajan Johnson that represents fighters from 2017 to the present.

The group claims the UFC's contracts suppressed athletes' abilities to negotiate other promotional options.

The 2014 lawsuit alleges the UFC attempted "to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services".

The UFC had reached a joint settlement for both cases and criticised judge Boulware's decision to reject the agreement.

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