The UFC head honcho, Dana White, and the top brass have been subjected to many legal cases. Most notably, two lawsuits were filed in 2014 and 2021, alleging that the promotion was underpaying fighters, giving them only 20% of the revenue, while other leagues pay around 50%. The lawsuits also claimed the UFC abused its market power to create a monopoly by suppressing rivals. The case was ultimately settled with the company paying out a whopping $375 million, but that didn’t stop the issue from coming back again.

In 2025, the UFC got hit with yet another antitrust lawsuit—this time from former Latvian fighter Misha Cirkunov, who competed in the promotion from 2015 till 2022. The lawsuit closely mirrors the Le vs. Zuffa case, which was settled just last year. It’s being viewed as another major step in the ongoing fight over fighter pay and the UFC’s alleged anti-competitive behavior. An X account named John S. Nash shared all the details related to this lawsuit on X.  And Craig Jones made sure to echo that…

There hasn’t been much general reaction to this legal development from prominent MMA personalities. However, Australian BJJ superstar Craig Jones, who just trained Jack Della Maddalena for his fight against Belal Muhammad, didn’t hold back from targeting the UFC and Dana White, reminding every fighter not to work with the organization. He posted an Instagram story with a picture and the words: “Just your daily reminder not to sign with an organization currently being sued for creating a monopoly and underpaying fighters.”

Talk about a straight up dig! Although there haven’t been many instances where Craig Jones specifically addressed fighter pay or the UFC’s antitrust issues, he has been vocal about similar problems in the BJJ world. As one of the sport’s top practitioners, he’s openly criticized BJJ associations in the past. He was particularly outspoken about the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) for paying some fighters six figures while others were compensated with just $10,000. That frustration was a big reason why Jones launched his invitational to address exactly that kind of imbalance.

Now about that legal case which is still up in the air… nobody knows how it’ll shape up. But there was another high-profile lawsuit against the UFC involving one of their former heavyweight superstars—and that one just got shut down. Let’s take a look at what that was all about.

Mark Hunt’s legal case against Dana White and Brock Lesnar was shut down 

2016 was a big year for the UFC, as it marked the return of Brock Lesnar—arguably the promotion’s biggest-ever heavyweight superstar. He fought Mark Hunt at UFC 200, one of the organization’s milestone events. After the fight, ‘Super Samoan’ accused Dana White of allowing Lesnar to compete while using performance-enhancing drugs, which he claimed was the main reason he lost. The bout was later ruled a no-contest. Hunt’s lawsuit didn’t stop there—it also included charges like fraud and breach of contract against the UFC and the head honcho. 

In 2021, the case was reintroduced. However, in 2023, the ruling Judge Jennifer Dosey declared that Hunt couldn’t produce much evidence to state his case. Dorsey wrote, “Despite extensive briefing and oral argument, Hunt has been unable to provide the necessary evidentiary support for his theories. In sum, each of Hunt’s fraud theories requires far too many inferential leaps and ignores too much contrary evidence for a jury to reasonably find in his favor, particularly by clear and convincing evidence.”

The legal battle between Hunt and Dana White dragged on for years. Unfortunately for the former heavyweight contender, things didn’t go his way. After his attorneys dropped out, Hunt ended up representing himself in the later hearings. In 2025, the case finally came to an end—and not in Hunt’s favor. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stated: “Unfortunately, Hunt does not point to any evidence in the record of any physical, emotional, economic, or reputational damage or harm attributable to Defendants-Appellees’ conduct.”

That’s one of the legal cases for the UFC this year. Now, how the future shapes up for Dana White’s company is a matter best left to time. Rest assured, we’ll bring you the latest highlights.