UFC Hit With Two New Antitrust Lawsuits – Is Dana’s Empire Starting to Crack?

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UFC Hit With Two New Antitrust Lawsuits – Is Dana’s Empire Starting to Crack?

Just when Dana White thought he could breathe a sigh of relief after the UFC agreed to a massive $375 million settlement earlier this year, the legal storm clouds have returned—twice as dark. Two new antitrust lawsuits, filed separately by former UFC fighters Phil Davis and Misha Cirkunov, are dragging the promotion back into the courtroom. The allegations? The same old song with a few new verses: monopolistic practices, fighter exploitation, and ironclad contracts designed to kill competition.

Phil Davis Leads the Charge: A Sunset Clause for Fighter Freedom

On May 30, 2025, Phil Davis—former UFC light heavyweight and current PFL standout—filed a class-action lawsuit against the UFC in Nevada federal court. Davis’ case, backed by the same legal team that secured the recent $375 million settlement, claims the UFC’s restrictive contracts prevent fighters from competing elsewhere, even after their marketability or fighting prime has faded.

The goal? To force the UFC into allowing more flexible terms, including a “sunset clause” that would let fighters walk away from contracts after one year without facing legal retaliation.

It's not just about Davis either. His lawsuit aims to represent any fighters impacted by UFC's exclusionary tactics, calling for injunctive relief that could reshape fighter mobility across the entire sport.

Misha Cirkunov’s Counterpunch: Taking Aim at Arbitration and Class Waivers

A week earlier, on May 23, 2025, former UFC middleweight Misha Cirkunov filed his own lawsuit. Rather than focus on contract duration, Cirkunov is swinging at another part of the UFC’s playbook: arbitration clauses and class-action waivers.

According to Cirkunov and his legal team, these clauses prevent fighters from challenging UFC practices as a group, effectively muzzling them and protecting the promotion from meaningful legal scrutiny. He’s asking the court to nullify these provisions for all fighters who signed UFC contracts after July 1, 2017.

A Pattern of Suppression?

These new lawsuits add more fuel to the fire of criticism that the UFC operates more like a monopolistic fight cartel than a competitive league. With claims of wage suppression, contractual manipulation, and industry-wide fear of blackballing, fighters are finally uniting—if not in the octagon, then in the courtroom.

And while Dana White and the UFC brass are busy pushing Power Slap and securing international expansion deals, the legal hits just keep coming.

What Happens Next?

Both lawsuits are currently in early stages, but they coincide with a key hearing on June 3, 2025, regarding a separate class-action suit covering UFC fighters from 2017 to the present day. The outcome of that hearing—and the ripple effect from these new cases—could mark a turning point in the way fighters are treated across MMA promotions.

One thing’s clear: the gloves are off, and this fight is far from over.

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