By FCF Staff

A class-action lawsuit, which was initially launched by several veteran fighters in 2014, has been certified by a judge.

The suit alleges that the UFC is a monopoly and that it operates in an anti-competitive manner to drive down fighter compensation. The UFC’s legal team has argued that’s not the case and has cited the fact fighter purses have risen.

According to a report from MMA Fighting, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware has certified the “bout class” in the lawsuit. This potentially includes every fighter who competed in the UFC between December 2010 and June 2017. The group is estimated at approximately 1,200 fighters.

Former UFC fighter Cung Le, who was one of the original plaintiffs in the suit, was quoted saying:

“This is an enormous win for all UFC fighters, past, present and future. For too long, the UFC has taken advantage of fighters by monopolizing the industry, and cheated fighters out of millions of dollars each year. Today’s decision by Judge Boulware means our case can proceed for all UFC fighters that are part of the class.”

Recently UFC President Dana White reported that the promotion will be cutting as many as 60 fighters, as a result of having an “inflated” roster.