The lawsuit claimed that the UFC’s business dealings had resulted in anti-competitive practices against its fighters. Cung Le, a former UFC fighter, is one of many MMA stars who have accused the UFC of wrongdoing in regards to fighter pay and antitrust violations. Le made the claim against Zuffa (another parent company of the UFC) back in 2014 which alleged that fighters received less pay than they should have, due to the UFC’s powerful stature in MMA being used to reduce fighters’ chances of taking fights from other promoters.
The proposal of a $375million settlement is a $40 million increase from the original figure of $335 million that was rejected by Judge Richard Franklin Boulware II in July due to Boulware's disagreement with how the funds would be distributed to the plaintiffs.
The UFC’s statement to ESPN read “We have reached a revised agreement with Plaintiffs to settle the Le case with terms that we believe address Judge Boulware's stated concerns”. "While we believe the original settlement was fair -- a sentiment that was also shared by Plaintiffs -- we feel it is in the best interest of all parties to bring this litigation to a close.”
Whilst this current 9 figure settlement only applies to the Le vs Zuffa case, former fighter Kajan Johnson also filed an antitrust lawsuit against Zuffa in 2021 and is still awaiting the verdict. The UFC told ESPN "As for the Johnson case, that process is in very early stages, and a motion to dismiss the complaint remains pending."