Last week, UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva ranted a lot about the UFC, specifically saying the Zuffa owned MMA promotion is dishonoring UFC fighters with poor pay and fixing fights. It wasn’t really a shocker to hear because it wasn’t the first time Wanderlei lashed out at UFC officials since running out of a gym to avoid a Nevada State Athletic Commission drug test ahead of his bout at UFC 175 in 2013.
Wanderlei recently said,
This promoter is killing our sport. There are fighters going back to work to support their families because they can’t live from the sport alone. They’re very poorly paid. We are getting organized and soon I’ll have news for my brothers in the ring. This will not stand! Some have tried to buy me, but I am not, nor have I ever been for sale. And I will fight to the end, to unmask these promoters, who are deceiving the public, cheating, and taking the dignity and the honor from our sport! This is turning a pro-wrestling show with fixed fights. We have to stop these guys because that’s the end of the line for us.
Now, it appears like the UFC has had enough of Wanderlei ‘s controversial remarks against the organization. According to MMA Fighting, Zuffa, LLC has filed a lawsuit against Wanderlei in Nevada district court for defamation and claiming the UFC engaged in fight fixing.
While the entirety of the lawsuit is revealed on UFC.com, Zuffa’s lawyers issued the following brief statement regarding the matter with Wanderlei on Wednesday.
Zuffa, LLC, dba the Ultimate Fighting Championship, filed suit against Wanderlei Silva in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas last evening based on the false and defamatory statements published by Mr. Silva last week. The company will have no further comment on the matter at this time, and refers all inquiries to its counsel at the law firam Campbell & Williams.
For more details on the lawsuit, you can visit UFC’s official website.
