Nov 15, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC 167 Welterweight challenger Georges St. Pierre (left) and welterweight champion Johny Hendricks pose for photographs with UFC president Dana White during the official weigh-in of UFC 167 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Nov 15, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC 167 Welterweight challenger Georges St. Pierre (left) and welterweight champion Johny Hendricks pose for photographs with UFC president Dana White during the official weigh-in of UFC 167 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. REUTERS

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is facing an antitrust class suit from current and former fighters claiming that the company is performing "illegal market monopolization," among others. The outfit is being accused of limiting the opportunity of mixed martial arts fighters to work with other MMA promoters as well unfair wage compensation.

Current middleweight talent Cung Le and former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Nathan Quarry are the named plaintiffs to the case, which is suing the parent company of the UFC, Zuffa LLC. Rob Maysey, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, had long been warning the outfit of its practices, which could result in a legal hiccup. The lawsuit is centred on the tendency of the UFC to limit the options of fighters to pursue fights outside the company or even negotiating a deal for sponsors on their own, similar to the way boxing talents could place advertisements in their gear and other apparel.

"They [the UFC] have become the only game in town and locked down the entire sport. ... At its heart, this lawsuit is about fundamental fairness. The world-class athletes that comprise the UFC are making enormous sacrifices and taking huge risks," Maysey told ESPN.

The list of plaintiffs has the potential to expand if and when several other talents decide to join in the future. Aside the primarily named plaintiffs, ex-welterweight Carlos Newton also showed his support to the cause by appearing alongside the accusers during the news conference in San Jose, California. In the said presser, the plaintiffs together with their representation filed a 63-page complaint before the U.S. District Court.

The UFC has already responded to the recent development in its website by saying that it has already been made aware of the class suit but has not been furnished of any official documents of the complaint. The untimely filing of the suit coincides with the recent partnership of the UFC with shoe and sports apparel company Reebok. It is unclear how the legal problem will affect the said deal as, on Tuesday, several MMA fighters have already shared their discontent with the exclusive deal saying that some of their individual sponsors are backing out because of the new partnership.