A number of previous and current fighters — together with energetic light-weight star Michael Chandler — are scheduled to testify on behalf of the UFC in an upcoming class-action antitrust case, per a short filed Thursday in U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Nevada.
As first reported by Bloody Elbow, Chandler and former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate are listed as anticipated witnesses for the defendants in UFC mother or father firm Zuffa’s trial transient. Additionally listed within the briefs as anticipated witnesses are Chael Sonnen and UFC Corridor of Famers Michael Bisping and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
The trial is predicted to start on April 15 in Las Vegas, although Zuffa counsel is trying to push again the date as a consequence of a scheduling battle.
“I don’t have an issue with the quote/un-quote ‘fighter pay’ argument,” Chandler stated in a 2022 interview. “I believe individuals suppose we should always make much more cash as a result of the UFC makes a ton of cash on their reveals. Properly, the UFC’s been at it since 1993.
“Dana White has had 10,000 sleepless nights when most of us fighters are simply exhibiting as much as observe and going to mattress, laying our head on the pillow and getting after it — and getting paid an honest wage for what we do.”
Managers of MMA fighters are additionally listed as anticipated witnesses on behalf of Zuffa, together with Ali Abdelaziz, Jason Home, Josh Jones, Dan Lambert, and Ed Soares. Abdelaziz is finest recognized for representing a few of the finest pound-for-pound fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, and Kayla Harrison. Lambert has labored as a supervisor however is finest generally known as the proprietor of probably the most prestigious gyms within the MMA world — American Prime Crew.
Present UFC CEO Dana White is predicted to be known as as a witness alongside former Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta and matchmakers Joe Silva, Sean Shelby, and Mick Maynard.
The plaintiffs, made up of former UFC fighters Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, Luis Javier Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury, are claiming the UFC engaged in a scheme “to accumulate and preserve monopsony energy available in the market for elite skilled MMA fighter providers” by eliminating competitors and suppressing wages. If discovered responsible, the UFC might be on the hook for damages anyplace between $894 million and $1.6 billion.
After being granted a category certification in August, all the group of defendants is any fighter who competed within the UFC through the bout class, which runs from December 16, 2010, to June 30, 2017. To this point, no fighter has opted out of receiving compensation ought to the plaintiffs win the case or there’s a settlement.
