Phil Davis, who competed in the UFC for five years and was consistently ranked among the top light heavyweights, is now leading a new antitrust lawsuit against the promotion. His aim is to fundamentally alter how the UFC conducts its business, driven by a desire to keep proving himself against the sport`s elite fighters.
Filed in late May, this lawsuit stands apart from other high-profile cases (including a $375 million settlement and another ongoing suit) because it seeks **no monetary damages**. Instead, Davis`s legal action focuses specifically on changing the UFC`s business practices. Key demands include the “elimination of restrictive and/or exclusionary clauses” in contracts and the introduction of a “sunset provision” that would allow fighters to “terminate the contract with no penalty within one year after its execution.”
Davis explained that the core issue is allowing fighters the freedom to pursue the biggest opportunities in the sport – an option he found unavailable after his departure from the UFC.
“The truth is, I don`t do this for fun,” Davis told MMA Fighting. “My ability to fight against the best people in the world has been inhibited. I can`t do that outside of the UFC. That`s a **real miscarriage of justice**.” He cited his own experience: after becoming Bellator champion, he was unable to pursue a rematch with Glover Teixeira, who became UFC champion shortly after Davis had decisively beaten him. “You`re the best in the world,” Davis said of Teixeira, acknowledging his achievement. “I believe I have the ability to beat him again. That is simply not right.” He emphasized, “Everyone who is involved in high-level sports… you`re in it to be the best… to compete against the best to prove you are the best in the world and that`s all I`m fighting for.”
While financial gain is inherent in combat sports, Davis stressed that the sole focus of this particular lawsuit is to compel the UFC to change its operational methods.
His primary hope is to eliminate restrictive contract terms, such as those that effectively blocked his chance at a rematch against a UFC champion like Teixeira simply because Davis was signed with a competing promotion.
“I`m not seeking any damage and I`m not seeking financial compensation of any kind,” Davis stated. “I haven`t been promised anything. All I want is the ability to fight the best, and I want that not just for myself but for every other person who is competing.” He added, “If you`re at that level, I want you to fight the best in the world. Why would I not want that for you? I want that for me. I want that for anybody who is in this sport, the ability to be the best and fight the best and put on the biggest fights for the fans, everyone wins. There`s one person who would lose. This isn`t a personal vendetta of any kind. This is just what needs to happen.”
Davis, a former NCAA wrestling champion for Penn State, finds it illogical that he wouldn`t have been allowed to compete against other collegiate athletes simply because they belonged to a different conference.
He is confident that if his lawsuit succeeds, the results will positively impact every fighter currently competing in MMA.
“No other sports league works in that fashion,” Davis argued, drawing a parallel to college sports. He recalled how his No. 2 ranked Penn State wrestling team scheduled and defeated No. 1 ranked Oklahoma State, despite them being in entirely different conferences. “That`s just how sports works,” he said. “We want to secure the top spot, they had it, we put them on the schedule, we came out on top. Everyone wins.”
As MMA continues its global rise in popularity, Davis feels these changes are not only vital for the fighters themselves but also beneficial for the entire combat sports landscape.
“MMA has grown so much and it`s taken shape and it`s definitely evolving,” Davis observed. “Now the practices are outdated, they`re restrictive and frankly, everybody should have the right to fight the best in the world. Once you are ranked in the world, you have the opportunity to fight the best in the world.”
