UFC Antitrust Litigation

Led by Eric L. Cramer, Michael Dell’Angelo, and Patrick F. Madden, Berger Montague serves as co-lead counsel on behalf of a certified class of UFC fighters who fought for the UFC between December 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017 in Le v. Zuffa, LLC, as well as a proposed class of UFC fighters who fought for the UFC between July 1, 2017 and the present in Johnson v. Zuffa, LLC.

The complaints in the Le Action and the Johnson Action allege that the plaintiffs and members of the classes are victims of the UFC’s illegal scheme to eliminate its competition in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and that the defendants have suppressed compensation for UFC Fighters.

In February of 2025, Berger Montague, as Co-Lead Class Counsel, won final approval of a $375 million settlement for UFC fighters in the Le v. Zuffa LLC action. The distribution of the $375 million settlement fund is poised to deliver substantial compensation to former UFC fighters. 1,088 of 1,121 eligible class members are receiving compensation— a staggering 97% participation rate. That figure—unprecedented in antitrust settlements—dispels earlier fears that fighters might hesitate to claim funds due to unfounded fears of potential UFC retaliation for making claims.

“We are extremely pleased that Judge Boulware granted final approval of the $375 million settlement of the Le v. Zuffa case,” said Firm Chairman Eric Cramer. “It is a monumental achievement that will provide significant relief to hundreds of deserving MMA fighters. We honor our brave representative plaintiffs who fought for this result for ten years. And we look forward to pursuing significant business changes and more damages in our second antitrust case against the UFC,” said Mr. Cramer. Read more about the firm’s big win for UFC fighters here.

The Berger Montague team that worked on the Le v. Zuffa case earned effussive praise from Cung Le, the named plaintiff in the case. Mr. Le said, “More than a decade of patience, resolve, and remarkable perseverance went into this case. Through every delay, setback, and unforeseen turn, you and your team stood beside me and every fighter represented, never once wavering, never once yielding to discouragement.” Read more about Mr. Le’s praise for the team here.

Berger Montague has led this litigation for ten years, first filing the Le Action first in December 2014. On October 19, 2016, Judge Richard F. Boulware II issued an opinion denying Zuffa’s motion to dismiss. Following several years of hard-fought litigation and a seven-witness evidentiary hearing on Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, the Court certified a class in the Le Action (consisting of UFC fighters who fought for the UFC between December 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017) on August 9, 2023. The Order granting class certification in the Le Action is available here. And on January 18, 2024, the Court denied the UFC’s motion for summary judgment in the Le action and set the matter for trial in April 2024. The Order denying summary judgment is available here.

Between Plaintiffs’ filing for class certification in February 2018 and the class certification Order in August 2023, Berger Montague filed the Johnson Action, seeking to represent a proposed class of UFC fighters who fought for the UFC between July 1, 2017, and the present. The Court denied the UFC’s motion to dismiss in the Johnson Action on September 30, 2022.

Berger Montague will continue as Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel to litigate the Johnson Action, seeking both damages for UFC fighters appearing in UFC bouts since July 1, 2017 as well as injunctive relief to stop the alleged anticompetitive conduct going forward. The settlement of the Le Action will have no effect on the claims of the proposed Class in the Johnson Action.

More information about the agreement can be found in The Order Preliminarily Approving Settlement, Preliminarily Approving the Plan of Allocation, Approving the Notice Plan, and Approving the Proposed Schedule for Completing the Settlement Process is accessible here. 

More information about Motion for an Award of Attorneys’ Fees, for Reimbursement of Expenses, and for Service Awards for the Class Representatives is accessible here.

Read more about this case:

• UFC Fighters are Finally Getting their Money: Antitrust Payouts Explained, from Highest Earners to Next Steps, Yahoo! Sports (September 9, 2025)
• UFC Fighters Get Final Approval for $375M Settlement, Law360 (February 6, 2025)
• Judge Grants Final Approval of $375 Million UFC Antitrust Settlement After Decade-Long Battle, Courthouse News Service (February 6, 2025)
• Sports & Entertainment Risk Management Alliance Podcast | Ep. 83 | UFC Antitrust Lawsuits (January 1, 2024)
• Significant Relief’: Big Law Firms Represent UFC in $375M Antitrust Settlement Agreement, The National Law Journal (October 25, 2024)
• UFC Parent Company Agrees to $375 Million Settlement in Class-Action Lawsuit Brought by Former Fighters, CNN (September 27, 2024)

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. With more than $2.4 billion in 2025 post-trial judgments alone, the Firm is a leader in the fields of complex litigation, antitrust, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. For over 55 years, Berger Montague has played leading roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $50 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.