UFC fighters from the last decade received some good news on Tuesday. Judge Richard Boulware granted preliminary approval on the settlement between TKO Group and the plaintiffs in the Cung Le vs. Zuffa case for $375 million, which covers fighters who competed in UFC from 2010 to 2017.
Judge Boulware had previously rejected the initial settlement reached between the two parties when the two agreed on $335 million. If this proposal was also rejected, the two sides would go to court for trial. In a video posted from outside the courthouse, former UFC fighter Tom Lawlor estimated that roughly 1,200 former fighters would receive compensation from the settlement. He also noted that approximately $115 million of the settlement would be going to cover fees.
There are currently two active class action lawsuits filed by ex-UFC fighters against the promotion. The new settlement relates to the Le vs. Zuffa case, which relates to fighters from the years 2010 to 2017 and was separated from the Johnson vs. Zuffa case, covering the years after, when the joint settlement was rejected in July.
Both sides were disappointed when the initial settlement was rejected. At the time that settlement was filed, Boulware felt the UFC was getting off too light on payout to the fighters in the Le case and without significant changes to UFC's restrictive contracts in the Johnson case.