UFC and $375 Million Settlement From Former Fighters Receive Judge’s Approval in Antitrust Lawsuit | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

A $375 million settlement agreement between the UFC and former fighters was reportedly approved on Tuesday.

According to ESPN’s Andreas Hale, Judge Richard Franklin Boulware II approved the terms of the agreement and ended the lawsuit in the case of Le v. Zuffa. This comes after the plaintiffs in the case and TKO Group, UFC’s parent company, agreed to a settlement in the class action antitrust suit in September.

It was a preliminary approval ahead of a possible hearing for the final approval that will determine how many hundreds of fighters will be paid.

“Today’s decision is welcome news for both parties,” a UFC spokesperson said. “We are pleased to be one step closer to the end of the Le case.”

This is just the first of two antitrust lawsuits against the UFC and covers fighters from 2010 to 2017. The other antitrust lawsuit is Johnson v. Zuffa and covers fighters from 2017 to the present.

That second lawsuit is still pending in court.

As for the one with a settlement approved Tuesday, Boulware previously denied the initially proposed $335 million settlement because it was seen as too low and combined both lawsuits.

More than 150 fighters helped advance the settlement with statements asking for the agreement to be approved so they can receive their money more quickly.

As Hale explained, the lawsuit was based on allegations that Zuffa violated antitrust laws and paid UFC fighters less than they were worth. UFC was also accused of engaging in anti-competitive tactics to gain an advantage in the mixed martial arts industry.