UFC taking Wanderlei Silva to court – suit inside
The UFC is taking indefinitely suspended light heavyweight Wanderlei Silva to court, following a series of messages he posted on his social network.
UFC light heavyweight Wanderlei Silva refused a drug test administered by the Nevada Athletic Commission, by physically running from the premises. He was eventually fined $70,000 and suspended indefinitely by the NAC.
He has since released a series of videos on his social network charging the UFC with a variety of offenses, including refusing to release him from his contract.
Silva’s latest charge is an extraordinarily serious one – that the UFC has fixed a fight. If Silva is correct, and the promotion has been fixing fights, they will lose their license to promote everywhere in North America. It will be the end of the UFC. The odds of that being correct are of course extraordinarily remote.
An irate fan on Twitter reached out to UFC president Dana White, who gave an inkling that a suit was coming.
Daryl @DarylJohnson24
@danawhite @ufc please sue the shit out of @wandfc just because he ruined his legacy does not mean he should shit on the sport with lies!
Dana White @danawhite
@DarylJohnson24 😉
The company issued a formal statement on the suit.
“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,” read the statement. “The company will have no further comment on the matter at this time, and refers all inquiries to its counsel at the law firm Campbell & Williams.”
The UFC is seeking a range of punitive damages including but not limited to $10,000 in compensatory damages, punitive damages to be awarded at trial, attorney fees, and more.
Image below links to the lawsuit.