UFC class-action lawsuit plaintiffs include Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry

Cung Le

Former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry, as well as current UFC fighter Cung Le, are among the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court in Northern California, MMAjunkie has learned.

As previously reported, the class action suit alleges that the UFC participated in anti-competitive practices that hindered fighters.

Here’s a short look at the plaintiffs and their sometimes rocky history with the UFC:

Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch

Fitch, 36, won his first eight fights with the promotion, which led to an unsuccessful bid for the title against then-champ Georges St-Pierre in 2008. Later that year, the UFC released him from his contract after he refused to sign a deal granting the promotion exclusive rights to his likeness for the “UFC Undisputed” video game. One day after news broke of his contract release, he agreed to sign the deal and was reinstated to fight at UFC 94.

Fitch (26-7-1) currently fights for WSOF, where he lost this past weekend via kneebar in a title bout against champ and fellow ex-UFC fighter Rousimar Palhares.

Nate Quarry

Nate Quarry

Quarry, 42, was a cast member on the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and once fought for the UFC middleweight title, losing via knockout to Rich Franklin in 2005 at UFC 56. In the years following his exit from the promotion in 2010, he became a vocal critic of the UFC’s business practices. In February, he told MMAjunkie that fighters often get shortchanged and need to be treated more fairly.

In 2012, Quarry (12-4) officially retired from competition.

Cung Le

Le, 42, signed with the UFC after the promotion purchased rival Strikeforce, where he once was the middleweight champ. He fought four times in the UFC, most recently losing via fourth-round TKO to Michael Bisping.

The August fight proved a flashpoint for controversy as the UFC accused him of having an elevated level of human growth-hormone (HGH) in his system and suspended him for nine months. After questions were raised about the validity of the UFC’s drug testing protocols, the promotion rescinded the suspension and reinstated his contract. However, in a recent interview, he said he no longer wishes to fight for the promotion and requested his release from contract.

Le (9-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) currently is the only plaintiff with an active UFC contract.

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