Dana White's Court Battle With Fighters Opens Door For Saudi Arabia To Take Over UFC
The next couple of months could change the way the UFC operates forever.
The popular mixed martial arts conglomerate is about to go to trial stemming from a 2014 class-action lawsuit by hundreds of fighters that accuses the UFC of creating a monopoly within the industry that ended up paying fighters “a fraction of what they would earn in a competitive marketplace.”
The lawsuit, which is moving forward after the UFC lost its bid to have it revoked by a judge earlier this week, could cost the organization over a billion dollars. The trial will begin in April of 2024.
Realizing what's going on, Saudi Arabia isn't waiting around and is already making power moves to not only be a competitor with the UFC, but possibly overtake it altogether down the line.
Dana White's UFC faces a lawsuit over claims that the sport held a monopoly over players and rival organizations. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
ENTER, THE SAUDIS...
Last month Saudi Arabia purchased a stake in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) for $100 million that will now give them access to one of the more popular rising MMA organizations. The deal also allows for a regional MMA tournament that will without a doubt bring in big money as well as interest from both MMA fans and more importantly fighters. Just last week former UFC champion Francis Ngannou - who also had a public falling out with UFC President Dana White over fighter pay - ended up boxing Tyson Fury and making more money in one fight than all his UFC winnings combined. Talk about bad optics right before heading to court!
The class action lawsuit is interesting because on one hand you understand why fighters - who literally put their lives on the line every time they step into the octagon are understandably upset. According to UFC parent company Zuffo's SEC filings the UFC made over $600 million revenue in the first two quarters of this year alone. the UFC's fighters past and present want some of that delicious pie.
As far as monopoly claims go - the UFC can't help it that they're the best there is. Hell, for millennials and Gen Z's, the UFC is the main reason why they even know about mixed martial arts and fighting, to knock the UFC for that seems like a stretch. The UFC had the money, they had the big fights and they had the stars - of course they were going to get all the attention.
REMEMBER LIV GOLF?
There is some concern that with the Saudis having legitimately unlimited wealth, could we see the UFC and WWE under Endeavor make some sort of LIV Golf / PGA Tour partnership in the future with the Saudis and PFL? If the UFC loses this upcoming lawsuit you can be sure that stockholders aren't going to be too pleased if they get hit with a billion dollar fine. For many of the money holders, they don't care about the sport as much as Dana White does - they just want to make money.
It's worth noting that the WWE has annual pay-per-views in Saudi Arabia and have extended their hundreds of millions of dollars deal for years to come. So, the other half of Endeavor is already playing ball with the Kingdom.
Upon announcing the new Endeavor partnership CEO Ari Emmanuel downplayed any claims of a monopoly and welcomed the opportunity for more competition. “Competition’s not new for the UFC or the WWE. MMA is probably the fastest growing sport and we’re encouraged by the interest. Rising tides lift all boats, in my opinion. We don’t see it as a zero sum game," he said.
They might not, but the Saudis absolutely do.