(Daily Journal) Saveri Law Firm has been selected for the California Daily Journal’s prestigious 2026 “California Lawyer Attorney of the Year” award. The award was based on the firm’s decade-long litigation of UFC Antitrust Litigation – in which the case team of Joseph Saveri, Kevin Rayhill, Christopher Young, Itak Moradi, and Aaron Cera prepared for trial before achieving a hard-earned settlement.
The UFC team was profiled in a special supplement contained in the Daily Journal’s May 6, 2026, newspaper and website formats. The supplement honored all selectees and featured a range of articles on litigation topics.
The firm is Co-Lead Counsel representing professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters in an antitrust class action against Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Plaintiffs alleged UFC unlawfully obtained monopoly power by acquiring its largest rivals and locking the best MMA fighters into long-term exclusive contracts, depriving other MMA promoters of the marquee fighters necessary to attract large audiences and succeed nationally. Fighters succeed by fighting well-known fighters in high-profile bouts, which, because UFC has eliminated legitimate alternatives, means fighting for UFC.
UFC’s alleged monopoly in the output market gives it a monopsony in the input market for fighters’ services, which it exploits to extract one-sided concessions from fighters. This enables UFC to suppress fighters’ compensation, paying fighters a fraction of what other professional athletes receive, and funneling exorbitant profits to the owners.
In August 2023, the Court granted class certification. In early 2025, after review of 775,000 documents, 59 third-party subpoenas, 41 depositions, nine expert reports, voluminous dispositive and appellate briefing, trial preparation, and multiple rounds of mediation, the Court granted final approval to a $375 million settlement: an average of approximately $250,000/fighter. This provides meaningful compensation for fighters, many of whom sustained significant injuries while in UFC’s employ.
According to the Daily Journal, the case was a “marathon.” It took a decade, with the pandemic in the middle,” Saveri recalled. “Our clients really put their careers on the line to take on their employer, Zuffa, and our willingness to bring these big antitrust cases to trial pushed the settlement over the line.”
The firm is grateful for the Daily Journal’s recognition -- the third time it has won this cherished this award, and the latest of many accolades bestowed on the firm and its attorneys across multiple practice areas and accomplishments.
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