A number of familiar faces are set to testify on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s behalf in an upcoming antitrust lawsuit against the promotion.
According to a brief filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, current lightweight standout Michael Chandler as well as former stars Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen are expected to be witnesses for the defendants. Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone are also listed as witnesses for the UFC in the brief.
The trial is expected to begin on April 15, though UFC parent company Zuffa is reportedly attempting to push back the date due to a scheduling conflict. Bloody Elbow was first to report information revealed in the brief.
The class action lawsuit was i initially filed in 2014 and alleges that the UFC engaged in a scheme to "to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services” by purchasing rival organizations and limiting earnings by binding fighters to exclusive contracts. The listed plaintiffs are ex-UFC fighters Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, Javier Vazquez and Kyle Kingsbury, but because it is a class action lawsuit, any fighter competing between Dec. 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017 would be eligible for compensation if the plaintiffs win the case or a settlement is reached. No eligible fighters — including those called as witnesses for the UFC — have opted out of the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages between $894 million and $1.6 billion.
A number of prominent managers are also expected to testify on behalf of the UFC including: Dominance MMA head Ali Abdelaziz, Iridium Sports Agency’s Jason House, Josh Jones, American Top Team owner Dan Lambert and Ed Soares.
Current or former UFC employees who might be called to testify include UFC CEO Dana White, former Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC regulatory affairs head Marc Ratner, UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein and matchmakers Joe Silva, Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard.
In its trial brief, the UFC has claimed the lawsuit is an “attack on success” and denies having monopsony power.
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