Former champion Gegard Mousasi filed a lawsuit in New Jersey in opposition to Bellator, and the promotion’s new house owners at PFL, over quite a few complaints together with breach of contract.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday with a number of PFL executives named within the lawsuit together with firm co-founder Donn Davis, PFL CEO Peter Murray and matchmaker Mike Kogan.
The claims from Mousasi in opposition to Bellator embrace “breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of excellent religion and honest dealing, unjust enrichment, a declare for reduction for Monopsonization.”
Within the 81-page submitting, Mousasi’s attorneys element the contract that the veteran middleweight signed with Bellator in 2017 after which agreed to an extension in 2020 that was later amended in 2023.
Underneath the phrases of the deal, Mousasi can be paid a “assured purse of $150,000 for his first 4 bouts, after which after his first 4 bouts have been accomplished, Gegard would obtain assured purse for every subsequent bout of $200,000.”
Mousasi would additionally obtain a “end bonus of $50,000 for any bouts gained by knockout or submission, plus a promotional payment for every such bout of $600,000. Accordingly, after his fourth bout was accomplished, Gegard was assured to earn $800,000 per bout, and as much as $850,000.”
The lawsuit particulars Mousasi’s complaints over his lack of exercise after finishing the primary 4 fights below his contract after which accepting a battle in opposition to Fabian Edwards “regardless of carrying an damage that successfully pressured him to battle Edwards with one arm” as a result of he was fearful that the promotion was going to sideline him indefinitely.
Mousasi claims that his scenario solely obtained worse after Bellator offered to PFL in November 2023 and an absence of communication with promotion officers continued to maintain him out of motion. The previous UFC fighter expressed his frustration when chatting with MMA Preventing again in April.
“The issue is we can’t get ahold of them,” Mousasi mentioned on the time. “They refuse to reply us again. I’ve been coaching, I’ve been prepared. However like I mentioned, they don’t promote me, or folks suppose I’m retired truly. Individuals don’t even know. After my battle, Fabian Edwards fought twice, and since then, they don’t even discuss to us. I do know I’ve a contract with them. I do know they’re obligated to offer me these fights. I’m simply ready and I don’t know. Simply ready, what can I do?
“I talked to Mike Kogan, he prompt, ‘Nicely, you make an excessive amount of cash.’ He mentioned, ‘I’d get again to you after I discuss to them as a result of they can not allow you to hold like this.’ I haven’t heard from him both.”
The lawsuit lays out months of backwards and forwards between Mousasi’s supervisor and PFL executives as makes an attempt have been made to resolve the scenario, though the now 39-year-old fighter remained out of motion.
Then in Could, PFL and Bellator introduced that Mousasi had been launched from his contract after threatening authorized motion.
Now Mousasi has adopted by way of with the lawsuit alleging breach of contract and claims that Bellator/PFL “engaged in anti-competitive monopsony conduct” whereas claiming he was misclassified as an unbiased contractor moderately than an worker.
Mousasi is looking for “compensatory, consequential and/or equitable financial damages in an quantity to be decided at trial, however not lower than $15 million” in addition to punitive damages and legal professional charges.
