Phil Davis breaks silence on new UFC lawsuit
Phil Davis breaks silence on new UFC lawsuit
Phil Davis envisions a future in which mixed martial artists have the freedom to compete against who they want, when they want, regardless of fight promotion. That’s why he’s suing the UFC on behalf of his counterparts.
Backed by Berger Montague, the law firm that secured a $375 million settlement against the UFC in February, Davis last month filed an antitrust class-action lawsuit that argues the UFC’s monosopsony powers financially harm all fighters. Unlike the Le v. Zuffa lawsuit that was settled in February, the Davis lawsuit seeks to be certified with all-non UFC fighters represented and does not seek monetary damages. Instead, Davis is aiming for an injunction to prevent the UFC “from continuing its allegedly illegal scheme.”Â
Davis, a former UFC fighter and Bellator champion who current competes for the PFL, is named as the plaintiff. Zuffa LLC, TKO Group Holdings – which owns the UFC – and Endeavor Group Holdings are listed as the defendants.
The lawsuit seeks to eliminate an array of restrictive clauses from UFC contracts and requests that fighters have the ability to terminate their contracts without penalty after one year. In his first interview since the lawsuit was filed, Davis opened up to MMA Junkie Radio about his motives and hopes.
“We’ve placed forth a couple of possible resolutions to the state of play as it is now. There could possibly be another way to solve the problem, but at the end of the day, as a fighter, you want to fight the best in the world,” Davis said. “If you’re outside the UFC, you can’t fight the best in the world because most likely those people are locked up in long-term contracts with the UFC and as long as they’re still valuable, they can’t get out of them. They cannot get out of them. The real issue is you should be able to fight the best fights, the best fighters wherever you are. If you are proving yourself against the best people, you should be placed against the next best person. That’s how sports work, and that’s all we’re asking for. And if a one-year contract term solves that, then that’s perfect. If there’s an even better solution, we’re open to that, as well.”
While Davis is going to bat for all fighters, at least part of his motivation for suing the UFC is personal.
“Why not co-promote an event? PFL vs. UFC, and the main event is myself vs. whoever,” Davis said. “This is where it becomes problematic. Because I was the Bellator (light heavyweight champion) and shortly thereafter, Glover Teixeira becomes the UFC light heavyweight champion), and I had a very decisive win over Glover Teixeira (before in the UFC). Why shouldn’t I be afforded the opportunity to become the outright champion of the world?”
Davis figures to have a potentially long legal battle ahead of him. The Le vs. Zuffa case was filed in December 2014 and wasn’t settled until last month. In addition, another UFC antitrust lawsuit brought forth by Kajan Johnson, which covers UFC fighters from 2017 to present day, is still ongoing.
The Davis lawsuit comes on the heels of another filed by former UFC light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov to represent UFC fighters who have signed the most recent and restrictive contracts.
Davis, 40, has an upcoming fight on June 27 against Sullivan Cauley in the semifinals of the PFL light heavyweight tournament at Wintrust Arena in Chicago (ESPN, ESPN+).