In the ongoing Johnson v. Zuffa antitrust lawsuit, MMA managers Malki Kawa, Jason House, and Dan Lambert have submitted declarations stating that Dana White has had no involvement in contract or fighter pay negotiations since 2018. The declarations represent a significant development in the legal proceedings against the UFC.
Three prominent MMA managers have submitted sworn declarations in the ongoing Johnson v. Zuffa antitrust lawsuit, stating that UFC President Dana White has played no role in contract or fighter pay negotiations since 2018.
Malki Kawa, Jason House, and Dan Lambert each provided declarations as part of the legal proceedings against the UFC, asserting that White has been absent from the negotiating table for roughly eight years. The managers are among the most active representatives in the sport, collectively working with fighters across multiple weight classes and organizations.
Why it matters
- The declarations could influence how the court assesses the UFC's internal decision-making structure and who holds authority over fighter compensation.
- Johnson v. Zuffa is an antitrust case that challenges the UFC's conduct in the fighter labor market, making evidence about negotiating power and organizational hierarchy central to the proceedings.
- If White's absence from pay negotiations is accepted by the court, it may shift scrutiny toward other UFC executives and the broader contractual framework the promotion uses.
The submissions represent a notable development in a lawsuit that has drawn widespread attention across the sport for its potential implications on how fighters are paid and contracted. The declarations place on record, under oath, a specific claim about the organizational structure of fighter negotiations within the UFC — a detail that attorneys on both sides are likely to examine closely as the case continues to move through the courts.
