Saudi Arabia and a $1bn fighters’ lawsuit threaten UFC’s future

UFC president Dana White has turned the organization into a hugely profitable enterprise. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

As the UFC prepares for its upcoming showcase event on Saturday, the real fight is set to take place outside the octagon, within the confines of a courtroom.

Last week, the UFC lost its bid to revoke class action status from hundreds of mixed martial arts fighters who are suing for more than a billion dollars in wages. The lawsuit accuses UFC parent company Zuffa LLC of illegally acquiring and maintaining a monopoly over the MMA industry, which resulted in fighters being paid “a fraction of what they would earn in a competitive marketplace.”