Update July, 2020 – Earlier this month the First Circuit Court of Appeal overturned this result finding the WBO’s arbitrator selection clause is invalid and remanded the case back to the District Court who are to determine whether the invalid arbitrator selection clause is severable from the remainder of the mandatory arbitration provisions. On the … More WBO Diverts Lawsuit Alleging Ali Act Violations Into Arbitration

Last week the Plaintiffs filed their opposition to Zuffa’s motion for summary judgement in the ongoing antitrust lawsuit alleging unlawful business practices by the UFC. Zuffa is trying to have the lawsuit tossed before trial arguing that, now that discovery is complete, no genuine issue of material fact remains and the case has no chance … More Plaintiffs Fine Tune Arguments in UFC Anti Trust Lawsuit

After testing positive for the steroid turinabol during an in-competition drug test at UFC 214 Jon Jones exposed himself to a host of potential legal consequences given that this was his second anti-doping infraction in the UFC’s USADA era. Today McLaren Global Sports Solutions published their arbitration decision revealing Jon Jones’ fate under the UFC … More Jones Secures Reduced Doping Suspension By Providing USADA With “Substantial Assistance”

MMA-Today reports that the UFC’s Mara Borella was just handed a 26 year ban by the National Anti Doping Agency of Italy for the distribution and sale of cannabis and cocaine. So what does this mean under the UFC’s custom tailored anti-doping policy?  Perhaps nothing.  As the Jon Jones case illustrated, cocaine use or possession out … More Mara Borella’s Drug Trafficking Suspension and the UFC/USADA Policy

One of the hallmarks of collective bargaining in major league sports in North America is the accessibility of athlete contract details.  The reason is simple.  When athletes know the market rate for their services they can leverage that information to negotiate a deal in their best interests.  Simply put knowledge is power.  You would be … More MMA Manager Declares Fighters Would Be Harmed By Disclosure of Market Rates