Berger Montague Files New Antitrust Class Action Against the UFC On Behalf of Non-UFC Professional MMA Fighters

PHILADELPHIA, May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger Montague, a leading national plaintiffs' law firm, filed an antitrust class action lawsuit against the Zuffa LLC, TKO Group Holdings, Inc., and Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., the owners and operators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ("UFC"), on behalf of professional mixed martial arts ("MMA") fighters who competed for MMA promotions other than the UFC.

The named plaintiff in the suit is Phil Davis, a professional MMA fighter currently under contract with a would-be rival MMA promotion. "The suit alleges that the UFC impairs the ability of would-be UFC competitors to attract a critical mass of top-level MMA fighters necessary to compete with the UFC at the top tier of the sport," said Firm Chairman and a lead lawyer for the fighters, Eric Cramer. "We intend to prove that the UFC engaged in a predatory scheme to undermine would be competitors to the UFC, which the suit claims had the effect of maintaining and enhancing the UFC's dominance, and thereby impairing the careers and pay not just of the UFC's own fighters, but also of professional MMA fighters like Mr. Davis competing for MMA promotions across the MMA industry."

The lawsuit seeks no money damages. Instead, it seeks an injunction to prevent the UFC from continuing its allegedly illegal scheme. By shutting down the UFC's allegedly anticompetitive behavior, the suit intends to create the conditions for free and fair competition among professional MMA promotions, which in turn, would bolster the careers and pay of professional MMA fighters across the sport. "I am proud to stand up for professional MMA fighters to unlock the UFC's stranglehold on the entire sport," said Phil Davis. The lawsuit seeks to build on the success of Berger Montague's class action lawsuit against the UFC, which resulted in an historic $375 million settlement for a class of over 1100 former UFC fighters, following a ten-year legal battle for economic justice. Berger Montague and Mr. Davis are committed to continuing the struggle to vindicate the rights of professional MMA fighters outside of the UFC who have been harmed by the UFC's allegedly illegal scheme.

For inquires, contact Eric Cramer, Michael Dell'Angelo or Rob Maysey. Berger Montague's legal team also includes Joshua P. Davis, F. Paul Bland, Patrick F. Madden, and Kyla Gibboney. Berger Montague also represents proposed classes of UFC fighters who fought for the UFC between July 1, 2017 and the present in Johnson v. Zuffa, LLC, et al. and Cirkonovs v. Zuffa, LLC, et al. The Johnson and Cirkunovs cases seek damages and injunctive relief to stop the UFC's alleged anticompetitive conduct on behalf of UFC fighters. Read more about these cases at www.bergermontague.com/UFC.

Berger Montague is one of the nation's preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. The firm is active in the fields of antitrust, commercial litigation, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. For more than 50 years, Berger Montague has played lead roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $60 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago; Malvern, PA; Minneapolis; San Diego; San Francisco; Toronto, Canada; Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE.

Contact:
Amy Wall-Monte
215.875.3021
[email protected]

SOURCE Berger Montague