Mac Danzig And Gabe Ruediger File Lawsuit Against The UFC
A few months ago huge news broke that numerous former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters had decided to file a class action lawsuit against the world’s largest MMA promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It all started when Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch announced that they would be suing the UFC on December 6, 2014. Since then, Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza as well as Dennis Hallman and Javier Vasquez have also stepped up and filed lawsuit against the Zuffa-owned company.
Today (February 5, 2015), it seems as if two more former mixed martial artists have followed in the footsteps of the aforementioned fighters. Bloody Elbow has reported that Mac Danzig and Gabe Ruediger are the latest names to file lawsuit against the UFC.
Danzig was not very successful in his UFC career, but he did spend six years inside of the Octagon, his last fight being a loss to Joe Lauzon in 2013. Ruediger was also unsuccessful in the UFC, going 0-3 over two stints with the promotion. He did, however, spend time in the WEC where he was more successful.
These antitrust lawsuits accuse the UFC of violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, after constructing a monopoly and maintaining monoposony power by dominating competition and virtually eliminating rival promotions. In doing so, these fighters claim that the UFC have artificially suppressed fighter earnings from bouts, merchandise, and marketing activities through restrictive contracting and other exclusionary practices.
When this news first broke some may have found it rather shocking, but in reality the UFC is the clear cut leading MMA promotion by far. There have also been many fighters throughout the years who have voiced their objective opinions towards the UFC’s pay. This may have just been the first time anyone has taken action on the issue.
How this mess will turn out is unclear as of now, but one thing is for sure. The more fighters that pile on to this lawsuit, the more dangerous it becomes for the UFC. What do you make of the situation?
