UFC Receives Blow In Antitrust Lawsuit As Judge Prevents Chandler, Sonnen, Abdelaziz, Others From Testifying

More bad news recently came the UFC's way in regard to its long-running antitrust lawsuit woes. 

The case first began back in 2014, when a handful of fighters took action against the promotion. The lawsuit alleges that through essentially monopolizing the world of mixed martial arts, the UFC was able to diminish fighter pay. 

With few other options at the time, many fighters were left stuck with relatively meager earnings for the hell they go through in the Octagon, and the interest fights can drum up. On top of this, the UFC is also being accused of anticompetitive behavior in regards to competing promoters.

Among the whopping 1,200 plaintiffs are Brandon Vera, Jon Fitch, and Cung Le. 

UFC Lose Multiple Fighter, Manager Witnesses

During a recent pre-trial conference, over a dozen witnesses expected to testify in the UFC's favor were put under the magnifying scope. 

Pre-trial conferences are often put together in order to spot and neutralize potential problems that could flare up at the trial. The UFC's legal representatives reportedly suggested that several of the known fighters testifying against the promotion hold grudges against it. 

In order to level the playing field, it was requested that the UFC be able to bring in fighters to testify in their favor. The list prepared to do so included big names such as Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, Miesha Tate, Chael Sonnen, and Michael Bisping, as well as fighter manager Ali Abdelaziz.