UFC Class Action Lawsuit: who are the fighters involved and why are they angry with the UFC?

#4 Javier Vazquez (UFC record: 1-0)

Javier Vazquez has been the least vocal fighter involved in the lawsuit against the UFC

Javier Vazquez is perhaps the most surprising name on the list of plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit against the UFC. That’s because he had just one fight inside the octagon – a win over Joe Stevenson – before seemingly retiring from MMA.

In an ideal world, Vazquez would’ve debuted in the UFC much sooner than 2011. The grappling ace was originally supposed to debut in the UFC in 2004 at UFC 46, but a serious knee injury prevented that and kept him out of action for the better part of four years.

Vazquez ended up signing with Zuffa in the WEC in 2009, and after picking up wins over Jens Pulver and Mackens Semerzier, he made his way to the UFC for his lone fight there in 2011.

So what exactly happened? The information seems hard to find when it comes to Vazquez. A January 2013 interview confirmed that he’d retired from MMA – with fights remaining on his UFC contract – as he felt that he had “nothing physically left to give.”

In this instance, it’s hard to say what his motivation for joining the lawsuit as a plaintiff is – but one can probably surmise it’s due to similar reasons as Nate Quarry.

---

#5 Kyle Kingsbury (UFC record: 4-5)

Kyle Kingsbury has claimed that Burger King treated him better than the UFC did

Kyle Kingsbury debuted in the UFC in 2008 following a somewhat infamous stint on TUF 8 that saw him embroiled in some seriously puerile behavior.

However, Kingsbury was also an excellent athlete and a good prospect at 205lbs. He showed that by putting together a decent record of 4-1 in the octagon – peaking with a win over Fabio Maldonado in 2011.

Kingsbury struggled when he made a step up in competition, and his UFC career ended in 2014 following four straight losses. However, it's worth noting that dropping fights to Jimi Manuwa and Glover Teixeira was hardly shameful.

After announcing his retirement from MMA in the summer of 2014, Kingsbury’s name was quickly added to the list of plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit against the UFC at the end of that year.

Unlike Nate Quarry and Jon Fitch, Kingsbury has hardly been vocal in terms of interviews regarding his treatment by the UFC.

However, he is on record stating that he had to moonlight in other jobs during his UFC career and even claimed that Burger King treated him better than the promotion.

Kingsbury also claimed that the best year he had with the UFC saw him make $100k before expenses – meaning that, like Quarry, his reasons for joining the lawsuit would likely be financial ones.

---

#6 Brandon Vera (UFC record: 8-7-1)

Brandon Vera was benched by the UFC in 2007 after suggesting a potential move to a rival promoter

Despite fighting for the UFC from 2005 to 2013 and becoming a genuine UFC title contender at several points, Brandon Vera’s relationship with the promotion was not always plain sailing.

Vera won his first four UFC fights to take his overall record to 8-0 and going into 2007, it seemed like he was on the cusp of a shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

However, 'The Truth' quickly found himself in hot water with the UFC. Vera revealed that he had one fight remaining on his deal with the promotion and was willing to listen to offers from Elite XC, who were at the time attempting to compete with the UFC.

The UFC’s response? They gave Vera’s title shot to Randy Couture and benched him for almost a year. When he returned, the momentum he’d put together was gone, and he lost to Tim Sylvia in his return bout before settling into a middling run that ended when he left the promotion in 2013.

Vera currently fights for ONE Championship but joined the class-action lawsuit against the UFC in 2014.

The UFC’s habit of “benching” fighters before the final fight on their contract was one of the issues brought up by Jon Fitch and Kyle Kingsbury in a 2020 court hearing for the lawsuit. It’s safe to say, then, that Vera’s issues with the UFC probably stem back to the 2007 incident.