White On Anti-Trust Trial: ‘I Never Think About It, Ever’

The UFC CEO doesn’t seem concerned about a class action anti-trust case brought by former fighters that is set to go to trial in the coming months.

UFC CEO Dana White is playing it cool regarding a big anti-trust case coming up in 2024 that could change the landscape of the sport.

The Cung Le et al. vs. Zuffa lawsuit was launched way back in 2014 and is finally on the verge of being heard by a jury. They’ll decide whether the UFC used their market power illegally to depress fighter wages, and a guilty verdict could result in billions of dollars in damages paid out to past fighters.

Current and future UFC fighters could also see injunctive relief that frees them from coercive and lengthy contracts. Imagine a world where fight contracts only last a year, and you start to see the potential ramifications for mixed martial arts as a whole.

If White is sweating the suit, he didn’t show it during an interview with Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter.

“The UFC is potentially going to trial this year,” Bronsteter said. “Is that a concern for you at all going forward?”

“No,” White replied.

“Is it something you give a lot of thought to, or is it just let the lawyers do their job?” Bronsteter asked.

“Literally zero,” White said. “I never think about it, ever. It has nothing to do with me.”

Maybe that is White saying it’s a problem for UFC lawyers, but the case has tons to do with him. Piles of discovery from the case has been coming out where plaintiffs specifically name White as an active and deliberate architect of the alleged monopsony power that is UFC. Not only did Dana aggressively stamp out competition with cut-throat business practices and buy-outs, he regularly went to war with any fighter looking to get paid more than the UFC was interested in spending.

Numerous key court documents include testimony, e-mails, and texts from or involving Dana White.

Financial analysis of business documents showed UFC paid shareholders $1.45 billion in dividends between 2005 and 2016. Over the same period, fighters received $846 million in compensation and benefits. Anti-trust jurors are going to get a front-row seat to how the sausage was made, and they’ll decide whether Zuffa-era brass crossed the line from smart businessmen into anti-competitive law breakers.

That trial is set to start in the next two to three months.