UFC Motion to Dismiss Antitrust Lawsuit Denied by Judge

As previously reported, a major class-action lawsuit was filed against the UFC last December by former UFC fighters including Jon Fitch, Nate Quarry, and Cung Le as the plaintiffs in U.S. District Court’s Northern District of California San Jose Division. The suit claims the UFC participated in anti-competitive practices that hindered fighters.

The UFC had filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit after the venue was recently changed from San Jose, CA to Las Vegas, Nevada, the homebase of the UFC.
reports that the UFC’s recent motion filed to dismiss the antitrust suit. However, a judge denied the motion to dismiss the lawsuit yesterday (Sept. 25), and the lawsuit will move forward for now. The UFC released the following statement on the Nevada judge denying the motion to dismiss the case:

The United States District Court in Las Vegas, Nevada held a hearing on UFC’s motion to dismiss today. The Court correctly explained that on a motion to dismiss it must consider all the factual allegations in the complaint as true, and the complaint must be liberally construed in favor of the plaintiffs. Using that standard, the Court denied the motion to dismiss. As we have consistently stated, UFC competes in a lawful manner that benefits athletes around the world and has created a premier organization in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). We look forward to proving that the allegations in the complaint are meritless.