Plaintiffs in the UFC antitrust lawsuit – including former UFC fighters Cung Le, Jon Fitch, Kyle Kingsbury, and Brandon Vera – struck a key victory late last year when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the MMA promotion’s request to appeal class certification. The ruling, delivered in a one-page document by U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware of Las Vegas back in November, was a big loss for the UFC, whose lawyers hoped to pause the case for another two to three years as the appeals process played out. Instead, Boulware’s denial means the lawsuit, which was filed in December 2014, is headed for an upcoming April 8 trial date – unless a settlement is reached before then. Suffice to say, the 9-year-old case is fast approaching its most critical period, which, in addition to paying damages, could result in major changes for how the UFC conducts business.
See more here: