Dana White and the UFC are often accused of exploiting fighter contracts and engaging in monopoly, with underpaid fighters. As the trend continued, some of the fighters in the UFC, both present and past, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the promotion, about a decade ago.

After suffering a massive loss battling the lawsuit, the issue was finally resolved following a trial on April 15. However, the TKO group, the parent company of UFC, had to pay $335 million for the resolution. According to reports, the payment has to be made in three installments. But the setback doesn’t seem enough to topple the giant organization after it generated a massive revenue in this year’s first quarter.

Antitrust lawsuit settlement not affecting Dana White and TKO Holdings

Previously, Damon Martin took to X and shared the news about the resolution of UFC’s antitrust lawsuit. Both parties settled as the UFC agreed to pay out $335 million to close the lawsuit. However, recent sources have confirmed that the setback will not affect the fight promotion or its CEO. The TKO Group has skillfully generated a massive revenue of around $629.7 million in Q1. 

Jed I. Goodman recently went on X and shared that the UFC would have to pay the money in three installments. The first payment has to be made in the first quarter, of this year, with the second installment scheduled for the fourth quarter. The first two installments sum up to $100 million each. However, the promotion secured an extension for the final $135 million installment, scheduled for the second quarter of next year.

Furthermore, the settlement is also anticipated to be deductible for taxation as and when the amount will be paid. Paying the first two installments for the settlement would not put any major dent in the UFC CEO’s wallet, given the substantial amount of revenue the UFC’s parent company generated in the first quarter of 2024. “Matter is resolved without introducing any further changes in the UFC’s existing business operations”, the words reflected in Goodman’s tweet. 

All about the antitrust lawsuit

The antitrust lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship was filed by a group of martial artists back in 2014, with the former UFC contenders Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Luis Javier Vazquez, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, and Kyle Kingsbury representing it. These fighters claimed that the MMA promotion violated antitrust laws by suppressing the fighters’ pay and monopolizing the market. The fighters also claimed that this monopoly pulled the mixed martial artists from negotiating for a better pay scale and working conditions. 

UFC faced quite a bit of trouble with the antitrust lawsuit as the judge denied the motion to reopen discovery and indicated a trial date for April 2024. The appeal against class certification was also denied, along with the subsequent motions to reopen discovery. After facing many adversities and risking billions of dollars, UFC finally agreed to a settlement by paying a sum of $335 million. 

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