Anderson Silva will be the biggest beneficiary of the antitrust lawsuit settlement against the UFC. According to information released by journalist John S. Nash, the Brazilian is expected to receive approximately US$10,33 million (approximately R$56,1 million) among the 1.067 fighters included. The payment is related to the class action lawsuit filed by athletes who alleged anticompetitive practices by the organization between 2010 and 2017.
++ How much does the amount Anderson Silva will receive represent for the UFC's coffers?
The lawsuit, filed in 2014, resulted in a $375 million settlement, approved in February 2025 by Federal Judge Richard Boulware. Of the total amount, $126 million was allocated to legal fees, while the remaining $251 million was divided among the eligible fighters.
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Anderson, who was with the UFC between December 2010 and June 2017, the period covered by the lawsuit, was automatically included as a member of the class ('class member'), without the need to individually request payment. Now, it is up to the 'Spider' to accept or refuse the settlement money.
The smallest payment identified was $16.138,45, according to court documents. The average is around $250 per fighter, with approximately 35 athletes receiving more than $1 million.
It's not just Anderson Silva! Understand the antitrust case against the UFC
The class action lawsuit alleged that the UFC, controlled at the time by Zuffa (now part of the TKO Holdings group), monopolized the market and restricted competition among promoters, harming fighters' pay and mobility.
The UFC has been accused of practices such as exclusive contracts with restrictive clauses, threats of retaliation against athletes who fight for other organizations, and acquisitions of competitors (Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) to centralize the market.
The case covered fighters who fought between December 2010 and June 2017, a period in which the UFC established itself as the world's leading MMA organization.
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