This could be the biggest story of the year
A number of former UFC fighters have banded together to launch a class action lawsuit against the promotion. The lawsuit accuses the UFC of being a monopoly that forces out competition from rival promotions and limits fighter earnings. Hundreds of fighters are reportedly involved with the case and the sum of money the group are seeking from the UFC is estimated to be in the nine-figure range.
The lawsuit against ZUFFA LLC, the parent company of the UFC, has been in the works for a long time, according to the lawyers involved. After several months of rumours, they officially announced they would be filing the lawsuit at a press conference in San Jose today. The suit has named three plaintiffs: current UFC middleweight Cung Le, and former UFC title contenders Jon Fitch and Nathan Quarry.
UPDATE:
The UFC's official response to the lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/VNNdrrSF41
— Ben Kiely (@TheJivemaster) December 16, 2014
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was at the press conference today and he livetweeted the event, which you can see below.
Press conference to formally announce lawsuit against UFC set to kick off in 10 minutes in San Jose. Standby for details.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Cung Le: "It has a been a tough road. I'm just honored to be a part of this lawsuit against the UFC for the past fighters …"
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
"… and for all the future fighters. … I'm just very excited to get this going," Le said.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Quarry: "This lawsuit is about fairness. It's about a fair market value for the athletes. … It's time for those things to change."
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Quarry: "We deserve to be out in a free market place."
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Lawyer declines saying how long this has been in the works but says it didn't happen overnight.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Lawyer: "What we want is a free and fair market. We want competition that will exist in a free and fair market."
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
This is not about starting a union, they tell @davemeltzerWON.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
They wouldn't disclose whether more fighters will be added to the lawsuit. Also, they said Viacom has nothing to do with this lawsuit.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Bellator is mentioned 14 times in the suit. It is often, however, painted as a "minor league." Viacom, WSOF, ONE FC are not mentioned.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Cung Le states he is still under contract with the UFC.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Cung Le: "I would not fight for the UFC."
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2014
Hat-tip to ESPN
