The UFC’s parent company TKO Group has reached a settlement of $335 million (£263 million) in two lawsuits with a group representing approximately 1,200 former UFC athletes.
The group of ex-fighters alleged that the UFC’s contracts limited athletes’ opportunities to negotiate with other promotions.
The anti-trust lawsuits had aimed for damages of up to $1.6 billion (£1.25 billion).
The court case, previously slated to commence on April 15th, is now unnecessary.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement to settle all claims asserted in both the Le and Johnson class action lawsuits, bringing litigation to a close and benefiting all parties,” said a UFC spokesman.
“The final terms of the settlement will be submitted to the court for approval.”
Between 2014 and 2015, five individual lawsuits were merged into a single case, while another distinct lawsuit was initiated in 2021.
Led by Cung Le, Kyle Kingsbury, Kajan Johnson, Brandon Vera, and others, the group of ex-fighters had all participated in UFC matches from 2010 to 2017.
The group wrote on X: “We are pleased with the settlement and will disclose more when we file with the court in 45-60 days.”
The UFC merged with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2023 to form the TKO Group.