2 days Ago By BoxingNews.com
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. President Mark Shapiro has expressed his frustration with the trial judge, Richard Boulware, for rejecting the UFC’s $335 million settlement. The UFC came under fire following two lawsuits.
They alleged a breach of antitrust laws, that reportedly allowed the organization to control how much fighters could make. The organization was accused of forming a monopoly to rule out other competition, thus putting fighters at a disadvantage. Two lawsuits were issued against them, one in 2014 and another in 2021.
A settlement was reached to avoid a trial. The only requirement was that the courts allow the settlement to proceed, thus ending the case. However, the presiding judge in the case refused to do so, shutting down the settlement.
Shapiro Reacts He justified it by stating that the figure was too low. The leading attorney for the UFC fighters reacted by stating that a resolution was needed as quickly as possible. This was to prevent a trial.
A trial date increases the delay. It could also increase the prospect that the fighters get paid less or do not get paid at all. Shapiro has now responded.
He could not understand their reasoning, especially since both sides had come together to reach a settlement. “Anyone that is a student of our business that has closely followed this story knows what’s going on is just ridiculous. We ultimately cut a deal to settle these cases, both suits, where the plaintiffs — the fighters if you will — near unanimity that this was good for them.
“By the way, we spent a lot more than anybody thought we were going to spend, [what] our board wanted us to spend, or we even thought was frankly appropriate, when it came to the two cases before us. But nonetheless to take it off the table we reached a deal and we’re on our way and then the judge doesn’t even grant preliminary approval,” Shapiro said The UFC is coming off a record live gate of $22 million at UFC 306, headlined by Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili .
This broke the previous record set by Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 205 in 2016. The perception that UFC fighters do not get paid enough will come under increasing scrutiny.
This is especially if the UFC continues to break revenue records. Shapiro’s Aim While the promotional outfit may argue that bigger events require further costs, the rise of MMA fighters chasing crossover bouts into boxing can only signal one thing: boxing offers higher purses for bigger fights, even if it potentially sells less on PPV than the UFC. The UFC may argue that they have a sustainable model, allowing fighters to face the best, something which boxing has been criticized for not doing.
However, with the current lawsuits at play, there is the natural question of how long the UFC can stand up to this criticism. Shapiro responded that they would be willing to go to the end to ensure the right decision is made, even if that means appealing. “If there is an adverse outcome, we will go all the way.
I want to make that clear. We will appeal and we will appeal and we will appeal and we will appeal, just like the NFL said they were going to do with their Sunday Ticket/DirecTV situation,” Shapiro added This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.
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