UFC Won't Be Able to Bluster Its Way Out of Class-Action Fighter Lawsuit

You can tell a given moment is momentous when a simple date won't suffice.

When you bring exact times into it, you're probably in red-letter territory. It thus felt appropriate that when legal reps for three elite MMA fighters announced they had officially filed suit against the UFC in a case that could change MMA forever, they added the hour and minute: 12:45 p.m., Tuesday, December 16.

The minute was a line in the sand, after which point things for MMA were different. Brought by UFC middleweight Cung Le, former UFC title challenger and current World Series of Fighting welterweight Jon Fitch and retired UFC middleweight Nate Quarry, the suit was formally made public Tuesday afternoon in a news conference and media call in which Bleacher Report participated.

The plaintiffs are seeking as-of-yet-unspecified damages (though it may reach nine figures, according to Brent Brookhouse and John S. Nash of Bloody Elbow). Along with Fitch, Le and Quarry, other parties, including fighters, can and just might join the suit later, attorneys said. Packing both MMA star power and legal firepower, the plaintiffs appear to have assembled a formidable challenge to the UFC status quo. Before we go any further, let's make the statement that should be obvious but isn't in this world where technical pseudo-experts swarm in droves and attack in packs: No one knows how this will play out. Not even Internet writers and article commenters.

However, there is one firm statement that can be comfortably made: Over the coming months or years, the UFC is going to find itself in a protracted fight, one it won't be able to tamp down with the bluster and strong-arm tactics that have characterized many of its other public confrontations. For that reason alone, this case is virtually unprecedented.

But back to the case for a moment. The complaint document, which you can read in its entirety here, summarizes the lawsuit clearly:In general terms, the suit alleges, among other, more granular accusations, that the UFC and parent company Zuffa underpay its fighters, suppress competition by buying and dismantling other promotions (Pride and Strikeforce, for example) and control the way fighters use their own names and likenesses in products like video games.

These accusations are nothing new. What's new is that a group of attorneys are now claiming they can prove these practices break the law, most notably the Sherman Act, which provides the framework for U.S. antitrust rules.


Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2302289-ufc-wont-be-able-to-bluster-its-way-out-of-class-action-fighter-lawsuit