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It might not be common knowledge to a lot of fans, but right now, the UFC is facing a major lawsuit from a group of disgruntled former fighters. This lawsuit may result in the promotion losing a serious amount of money, and could even force them to change their business practices.
In order to fight this lawsuit, the UFC has called upon the services of a number of fighters to defend the promotion and its interests.
These fighters include some notable stars, with some of them being former champions and a couple still active on the roster. So why are they defending Dana White and company? There are a number of reasons.
Here is a look at five of the fighters set to defend the UFC against the ongoing lawsuit and why they might be doing so.
#5. Michael Chandler – current UFC lightweight contender
The ongoing lawsuit against the UFC not only deals with fighter pay, it also deals with the accusations of uncompetitive practice by the promotion, which bought up a number of rivals during and before the period of time being discussed (2010 to 2017).
One rival promotion which was never bought out by the UFC is Bellator MMA, and that was the promotion that Michael Chandler called home for the majority of his career.
A three-time Bellator lightweight champion, ‘Iron Mike’ made his way to the octagon in 2021, and has been involved in some pivotal fights, including battles with Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson.
Why would Chandler be interested in defending Dana White and company? Perhaps because, unlike a number of other high-profile fighters, he’s seen the other side of the fence thanks to his experiences in Bellator.
Interestingly, he also appeared to side with the promotion in the debate about fighter pay in a 2022 interview.
Chandler’s comparison of people complaining about fighter pay to “people on the lower rungs of society throwing rocks at the people above them” earned him some criticism.
However, given that reports suggest he earned $760k for his fight with Poirier, and he’d already stated that he’s earning more with the UFC than he did in Bellator, his stance might be a little more understandable.
#4. Miesha Tate – former UFC bantamweight champion
While former bantamweight titleholder Miesha Tate has never been a hugely vocal proponent of the UFC and their business practices, it was hardly a surprise to see her named in the list of fighters defending the promotion.
‘Cupcake’ was treated as a major star by Dana White and company from the moment that she arrived in the promotion in 2013, and over the years, she’s been offered a number of major opportunities.
Tate coached TUF 18 against bitter rival Ronda Rousey, fought in three title bouts – including her title victory over Holly Holm in 2016 – and has headlined or co-headlined six major events.
Interestingly, ‘Cupcake’ also spent some time with rival promotion ONE Championship from 2018 to 2021 during a short-lived retirement, acting as a Vice President for the Singapore-based company.
Like Chandler, then, Tate has seen things from the other side of the fence, meaning that she may have some as-yet unrevealed insights worth bringing to the table.
This might’ve played into a 2021 interview in which she stated that she wasn’t complaining about UFC pay because she was doubtful that she’d get more than the $200k she received to fight Marion Reneau elsewhere.
Fascinatingly, though, the same interview saw her go on record to state that around 98% of that $200k was spent on her training camp, perhaps affording a glimpse at the trials and tribulations of even a renowned veteran.
#3. Chael Sonnen – former UFC middleweight contender
Once touted as a potential heir to Dana White’s throne at the top of the UFC, former middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen has never been slow to defend the promotion over the years.
In many ways, this is surprising, as ‘The American Gangster’ saw his octagon career end under a black cloud following a bust for PED’s in 2014. He then went onto a run with rivals Bellator MMA, and was even involved with another rival, WSOF (now PFL) for a short time.
However, more recently, Sonnen has returned to the fold. He’s made numerous appearances on UFC programming on ESPN as an analyst, and has often stood up for the promotion’s business practices when others have questioned them.
This was never more apparent than in a lengthy YouTube video that saw him claim that White and company were merely working within the parameters of natural market forces by not giving the fighters a 50/50 revenue split.
One criticism of Sonnen himself, though, could be his penchant for stretching or exaggerating the truth.
‘The American Gangster’ went on record in 2023 to claim that he’d earned a career-high $8.8m for his second bout with Anderson Silva in 2012 in what absolutely would’ve been an excellent payday.
However, documents recently revealed by the ongoing lawsuit actually suggested that he earned $1.05m – meaning that Sonnen was either exaggerating, or received a huge under-the-table bonus, something that feels unlikely given the figures involved.
#2. Michael Bisping – former UFC middleweight champion
The UFC has long been renowned for handsomely rewarding fighters they deem to be ‘company men’ (or women, of course), and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping would definitely fall into that category.
‘The Count’ fought for the promotion for over a decade, debuting in 2006 before finally reaching the top of the mountain 10 years later when he claimed gold at 185 pounds by knocking out Luke Rockhold.
Since hanging up his gloves in 2017, Bisping has primarily acted as both an analyst and a color commentator for the promotion, regularly appearing on both pay-per-view and Fight Night events.
It’s unsurprising to see Bisping’s name appear on a list of fighters willing to defend the UFC and their business practices during the ongoing lawsuit.
‘The Count’ has gone on record to defend Dana White and company on the subject of fighter pay on numerous occasions.
April 2022 saw him hit out at YouTube star Jake Paul, claiming that ‘The Problem Child’ underpaid his own fighters before telling him that if he wanted to “crusade” for better fighter pay, he should hire fighters to his own promotion and pay them more.
2023, meanwhile, saw the UK native label the narrative that suggests boxers earn more than UFC fighters as “bullsh*t”.
#1. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone – former UFC lightweight contender
Renowned throughout his lengthy tenure with the UFC as a loyal fighter who would often step into bouts on little to no notice and fight anyone, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone has also been named as one of the fighters willing to defend the promotion.
Cerrone fought in the octagon on 38 occasions between his 2011 debut and his eventual retirement in 2022. Despite never winning a title during that period, ‘Cowboy’ was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
2022 saw the former WEC star lash out at younger fighters on the subject of their pay. He suggested that even though they were now earning more than they’d ever earned on the regional circuit, some of them were happy to become complacent once arriving in the big show.
Earlier this year, meanwhile, ‘Cowboy’ admitted that he only received his regular payout of $200k for the biggest fight of his career, his 2020 bout with Conor McGregor – despite the pay-per-view drawing 1.3 million buys.
This revelation led to Jake Paul once again hitting out at the business practices of Dana White and company, although Cerrone has yet to respond to the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Despite Cerrone’s reputation as a company man, 2016 did see him become involved in an eventually failed attempt to form a fighters’ union, alongside luminaries such as Cain Velasquez and Georges St-Pierre.
However, ‘Cowboy’ quickly retracted his stance on the matter, with White later revealing that the lightweight apologised to him for his involvement.
Perhaps, then, stepping in to defend the promotion in this ongoing lawsuit is another way of paying back their loyalty to him.
