UFC Lawsuit 2026: The $375M Payout, Who Got Paid, and What’s Still Open

Quick Answer

• Yes, it’s real: a $375 million fighter antitrust settlement, approved by a federal judge on February 6, 2025.
• Only fighters in the 2010 to 2017 class are paid. Projected median payout is $85,863.57. Fans get nothing.
• The claim deadline closed June 16, 2025. No new claims are allowed in this settlement.

The UFC lawsuit is real, and one half of it has already paid out. A federal judge approved a $375 million settlement for former fighters on February 6, 2025.

It covers only fighters who competed between December 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017. The claim deadline closed June 16, 2025, so the window to file is shut.

For a deeper understanding, check UFC Antitrust Lawsuit 2026: $375 Million Paid, Johnson Case Still Open

This guide separates the cases people keep mixing up. One surprise: a fan lawsuit exists, but it has no settlement and no claim form.

The Facts

Is the UFC lawsuit real?

Yes, the UFC lawsuit is real, and it is actually five federal cases, not one. They sit in the same Nevada federal court, and the fighter cases are before Judge Richard Boulware II.

Only one has settled. Le v. Zuffa produced the $375 million fund. The others have no settlement, no fund, and no claim form.

That mix-up is the biggest source of bad information online. Some pages blend the cases and invent fund sizes. Check the case number before you trust any dollar figure.

Is the UFC settlement website legit?

Yes, the official fighter settlement site is real, and it is run by the claims administrator, Angeion Group. Angeion’s address is 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103, and its toll-free line is 1-866-955-5564.

The site’s Distribution Status page asks for the Notice ID and Confirmation Code printed on a class member’s personalized notice. An older information site run by the plaintiffs’ lawyers still describes the case as it stood before class certification. It sends visitors to the administrator for official notices.

Neither site takes claims today. Be skeptical of any text, email, or website offering UFC settlement money to fans. No court-approved fan payout exists.

How much is the UFC lawsuit settlement?

The UFC settlement totals $375 million, paid in three $125 million installments. TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s parent company, agreed to the deal on September 26, 2024.

The last installment was due by June 30, 2025. TKO says payment finished that June.

That $375 million is the gross figure. Fighters never see all of it, as the next section shows. The net pool for claimants is $250,852,427.06.

Watch for one bad number. Some pages say the Johnson case adds a separate $250 million fund. No filing or report we reviewed shows a Johnson settlement of any size.

Key Takeaway: The UFC’s $375 million settlement belongs to one case only, Le v. Zuffa, and the other four cases have no money attached.

How did $375 million shrink to $250.9 million?

Fees, costs, taxes, and reserves took roughly $124 million, which is why the net fund is $250,852,427.06. Think of a paycheck: the headline salary is never what lands in your account.

The court awarded attorneys’ fees of 30.72 percent of the fund, about $115.2 million plus interest. It also awarded $9,572,685.17 in expenses. The settlement FAQ says class members do not pay these amounts out of their own pockets.

Five class representatives each received a $250,000 service award. Nathan Quarry received $250,000 for a separate identity-rights claim.

How much did each UFC fighter get?

Amounts vary widely, but the administrator’s projected median payout is $85,863.57. The projected average is $230,562.89, pulled up by a few very large payments.

The Plan of Allocation split 70 percent of the net fund by each fighter’s UFC pay for bouts in the class period. It split 30 percent by the number of bouts. The 1,088 claims covered $538,853,643.23 in pay and 5,318 bouts.

The original notice estimated 40 to 80 percent of each fighter’s bout pay. The net fund equals about 46.6 percent of the covered pay. That lands in the lower half of the range, and these are projections, not a guarantee for any one person.

Reality Check: No one legitimate texts you first and asks for a fee to release UFC settlement money. The administrator’s FAQ says class members don’t need claim-helper companies. A fighters’ association also warned that some managers might try to take a percentage of checks, so read any such demand carefully.

Who may qualify for the UFC class action payout?

You may have been in the class if you competed in a live professional UFC-promoted MMA bout held or broadcast in the United States between December 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017. The court certified that class on August 9, 2023.

People who are not U.S. residents or citizens are excluded, unless the UFC paid them for a bout fought in the United States. That rule explains why payments went to claimants in 44 countries.

A quick checklist:

• You fought in a UFC-promoted bout, not another promotion’s event.
• The bout was live and professional.
• It took place or aired in the U.S.
• It fell between December 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017.

The administrator mailed prepopulated claim forms on May 2, 2025 to 1,121 class members with valid addresses. Of those, 1,088 filed, just over 97 percent. The administrator found all 1,088 claims valid, and none were rejected.

Key Takeaway: The class is fighters only, defined by bout dates and a U.S. connection, and the filing period for it is over.

Can UFC fans get money from the lawsuit?

No, fans cannot get money from the Le settlement, because it covers fighters only. Pay-per-view buyers, ticket buyers, and streaming subscribers are not in the class.

The money goes only to class members who filed claims. That means viewers had no claim to file, even if a headline made it sound otherwise.

A fan case does exist, and that is where the confusion starts. It is called Costantino v. Zuffa, and it has produced no money. No class is certified, no settlement exists, and no claim form exists.

So if a message says you can claim UFC pay-per-view settlement money today, treat it as unverified. It does not describe any court-approved payout. Section 14 below covers the fan case in detail.

Before you go further, consider reading UFC Settlement 2026: Payouts, Claim Status, and Who Still Hasn’t Been Paid

Can I still file a UFC settlement claim?

No, you cannot file a new claim, because the deadline passed on June 16, 2025. The court’s October 3, 2025 distribution order says no further claims received by Angeion are allowed.

The opt-out window closed earlier, and the court found that no one opted out. One late claim was admitted by the court, which shows exceptions are rare and court-controlled.

If you believe you were a class member and heard nothing, take these steps:

1. Confirm you fought a live UFC-promoted U.S. bout between December 16, 2010 and June 30, 2017.
2. Find any personalized notice and its Notice ID and Confirmation Code.
3. Call the administrator at 1-866-955-5564.
4. Ask whether a claim was received and what its status is.
5. Gather your bout contracts, pay records, and fight dates.
6. Write down the date and name of everyone you speak to.
7. Do not pay anyone who offers to refile for a share of the money.

How do I check my UFC settlement payment status?

You check your status on the official settlement website’s Distribution Status page, using the Notice ID and Confirmation Code from your personalized notice. Think of the Notice ID as your store receipt: without it, nobody can look up your purchase.

Follow these steps:

1. Locate the personalized notice mailed to you.
2. Copy the Notice ID exactly as printed.
3. Copy the Confirmation Code.
4. Open the official settlement website, not a link from a text message.
5. Go to the Distribution Status page.
6. Enter both codes and read the status shown.
7. Call 1-866-955-5564 if the codes fail or the status looks wrong.

Keep one rule in mind. Checks not cashed within 90 days of the issue date become void, and the court said uncashed recipients forfeit recovery. Angeion can reissue a check for good cause, so call fast if one is lost.

Key Takeaway: Your Notice ID and Confirmation Code are the only tools you need, so guard them like a receipt.

When will UFC settlement payments be paid?

Most UFC settlement payments have already gone out, and no date is published for the rest. The administrator reported $237,386,515.53 paid to 984 claimants in 44 countries as of March 31, 2026.

Judge Boulware’s October 3, 2025 order authorized the distribution. An earlier update, dated February 4, 2026, showed $226,957,700.90 paid to 942 claimants in 40 countries.

Here is the skeptical read. As of late September 2026, the March 31 update was still the newest on the official site. That means six months passed without a public progress number. We could not confirm a newer update as of today, so check the site for one.

Why are 104 UFC fighters still waiting for payment?

As of March 31, 2026, 104 of the 1,088 claimants were unpaid, held up by bank questions, instruction errors, legal disputes, and sanctions rules. That left about $13.5 million of the net fund unsent.

The administrator says the legal-issue payments may need court intervention. It says the sanctions group’s timing is uncertain and will likely need court intervention too.

If money remains at the end, class counsel will ask the court for a second distribution. If that is not economical, they will ask for a cy pres payment to a charity. A motion to appoint a special master was filed in the Le case on August 5, 2026, and no ruling appears in the records we reviewed.

What is the Johnson v. Zuffa lawsuit?

Johnson v. Zuffa is a pending antitrust case for fighters who competed from July 1, 2017 on, and it has no settlement. It was filed in June 2021 before Judge Boulware.

The named plaintiffs are Kajan Johnson, Clarence Dollaway, and Tristan Connelly. The case seeks damages and changes to UFC business practices. The court denied the UFC’s motion to dismiss on September 30, 2022.

No class has been certified, and TKO’s latest quarterly report says no trial date is set. The 2024 Le settlement carved out claims pursued in Johnson, so the $375 million did not end this case.

Any money for post-2017 fighters would need a settlement or a judgment. Neither is in sight. The defendants proposed filing their class certification opposition in late 2027, and we found no order adopting either side’s schedule.

Key Takeaway: Johnson v. Zuffa is the live fighter case, but it has no class, no fund, and no trial date.

What is the UFC evidence destruction fight about?

The evidence fight is a dispute inside Johnson over whether UFC-side parties destroyed documents. Plaintiffs moved for sanctions on February 25, 2026, asking for a default judgment. They accused TKO, Endeavor, and Zuffa of destroying years of critical evidence.

Nothing has been decided on that accusation. On July 9, 2026, the judge dismissed his court-appointed forensic expert, Eric Wedin, finding mistakes that made the report unreliable. He then denied the sanctions motion without prejudice, with leave to refile after discovery closes.

That is not a win for either side. It simply pauses the question.

At a September 3, 2026 conference, the judge ordered sworn answers about a previously undisclosed phone belonging to Dana White. He set a hearing for the parties’ forensic experts on October 8 and 9, 2026. We could not confirm what happened at that hearing.

Document production was due to be substantially complete by September 30, 2026 for the Zuffa defendants and October 30, 2026 for Endeavor.

What is the UFC fan lawsuit, Costantino v. Zuffa?

Costantino v. Zuffa is a proposed fan class action filed February 26, 2026, and it has no settlement. A warranty claim is a fair comparison: it’s filed, but nobody has accepted it.

Alana Costantino and Kyle Nicholson sued Zuffa, TKO Group Holdings, TKO Operating Company, and Endeavor Group Holdings. They allege fans were forced to pay inflated prices for pay-per-view events and, more recently, for Paramount+.

The complaint proposes a pay-per-view class covering purchases through January 1, 2026. It proposes a streaming class and a nationwide injunctive class too. Two more plaintiffs joined in an amended complaint on May 18, 2026.

On July 21, 2026, Zuffa moved to dismiss and to compel arbitration. The court set plaintiffs’ response for September 4 and the reply for October 2, 2026. We could not confirm a ruling.

What are the Cirkunovs and Davis lawsuits?

Cirkunovs and Davis are two smaller antitrust cases filed in May 2025, and neither has a settlement or a claim form. Both sit in the same Nevada court as the larger fighter cases.

Cirkunovs v. Zuffa was filed May 23, 2025. It covers post-2017 fighters whose contracts contain arbitration clauses or class-action waivers. TKO says it is stayed while the defendants appeal an order allowing discovery before any ruling on arbitration.

Davis v. Zuffa was filed May 29, 2025 by Professional Fighters League fighter Phil Davis. It is brought for fighters of other promotions. It seeks no money, only changes to UFC practices, and it survived a motion to dismiss on March 31, 2026.

This may also interest you: FanDuel Class Action Lawsuit 2026: Gambling Addiction Claims, DraftKings Status & Settlement Reality

Neither case affects your payout in Le v. Zuffa. They matter because they show the antitrust fight is wider than one settlement.

Key Takeaway: Cirkunovs and Davis are separate pending cases, and they have no connection to the $375 million fund.

Why was the first $335 million UFC settlement rejected?

Judge Boulware rejected the first $335 million deal in July 2024 because it raised fairness concerns for fighters in the second case. That deal, reached in April 2024, would have resolved both Le and Johnson together.

At the hearing, he questioned the length of the opt-out period and the absence of active UFC fighters among the named plaintiffs. He asked whether class members would understand the rights they were giving up. He also noted the deal did not address the UFC’s arbitration clause.

He set a tentative October 28, 2024 trial date. Damages estimates in the case ran from $800 million to $1.6 billion, which raised the stakes for both sides.

The parties then reached a new Le-only deal for $375 million on September 26, 2024. The judge granted preliminary approval in October 2024, after more than 100 former fighters wrote letters supporting it.

What is the UFC lawsuit really about?

The lawsuit alleges the UFC used market dominance to hold down what fighters earned. The legal theory is monopsony power: one dominant buyer of fighter services setting prices.

The claims arise under Section 2 of the Sherman Act, a federal antitrust law. Le v. Zuffa was filed in 2014, and the court certified the class on August 9, 2023. The case went from filing to final judgment in more than ten years.

The UFC denies wrongdoing. The company has pointed to its investment in the sport and to rival promotions as evidence of a competitive market. A settlement is not a finding either way.

Endeavor bought the UFC in 2018 and later merged it with WWE to form TKO Group. TKO inherited the legal exposure, which is why TKO’s SEC filings now carry the case details.

What Happens Next

October 8 to 9, 2026: The judge scheduled a forensic-expert hearing in Johnson v. Zuffa, and the outcome is not yet confirmed.

October 30, 2026: Endeavor’s document production in Johnson was due to be substantially complete.

Expected, date not set: The court is expected to rule on the Costantino motion to dismiss and compel arbitration.

Expected, date not set: The remaining Le payments, if any, move forward, or the court considers a second distribution or cy pres payment.

Proposed for October 25, 2027: Defendants’ proposed class certification motion in Johnson; no order adopting it was found.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the UFC class action payout still open?

No, the claim period for the $375 million Le settlement closed June 16, 2025.
The court’s distribution order says no further claims are allowed.

How much was the UFC settlement per fighter?

The administrator’s projected median payout is $85,863.57.
Projected amounts ranged from $16,106.36 to $10,313,690.73, and individual results depend on UFC pay and bout counts.

Can I join the Johnson v. Zuffa lawsuit?

There is nothing to join right now, because no class is certified in Johnson v. Zuffa.
No claim form or fund exists for fighters from July 1, 2017 onward.

Do I get money if I bought UFC pay-per-view?

No, pay-per-view buyers are not in the Le class, and no fan settlement exists.
The fan case, Costantino v. Zuffa, has no class and no claim form.

Who is the UFC settlement administrator?

The administrator is Angeion Group, reachable at 1-866-955-5564.
It operates the official settlement website and the Distribution Status page.

Did the UFC admit wrongdoing?

No, the UFC denies wrongdoing, and the settlement is not a finding either way.
The deal resolved the Le antitrust claims without a trial.

Are other lawsuits involving UFC fighters part of this settlement?

No, the settlement resolves only the Le antitrust claims.
Johnson, Cirkunovs, Davis, and Costantino remain separate pending cases.

How long do I have to cash a UFC settlement check?

Checks must be cashed within 90 days of the issue date, or they become void.
The administrator may reissue a check for good cause, so call 1-866-955-5564 quickly.

If you fought in the 2010 to 2017 window and haven’t been paid, call the administrator and ask about your status. Have your Notice ID and Confirmation Code ready.

Another useful guide: Janel Grant Lawsuit 2026: WWE Case Status, Legal Claims, and Settlement Outlook

Keep the cases straight. The claim deadline for the only settled case closed June 16, 2025.