LAS VEGAS – A Texas Court of Appeals has informed Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), that it has granted its motion to compel Randy Couture to arbitrate in the District of Nevada, thereby staying all further action by HDNet against Zuffa in the state of Texas, said officials.

 

Specifically, the Court of Appeals found that the lower court had engaged in "a clear abuse of discretion" by permitting HDNet to litigate claims relating to Couture's contract in Texas, rather than in Nevada, where Zuffa is presently pressing a breach of contract action against Couture, the UFC PR department said.

Upon learning of the court's decision, Zuffa's Las Vegas counsel, Donald J. Campbell, explained the significance of the ruling.

"The practical effect of the court's decision is to allow Zuffa to continue its prosecution of claims against Mr. Couture in the arbitration presently underway here in Nevada without any regard to the flaccid claims of HDNet and its management,” said Campbell. “Based upon evidence uncovered during the interrogation of Mr. Couture during his deposition, we have every confidence that Mr. Couture will be held accountable for the serious and ongoing breaches of his contractual obligations to Zuffa."

The successful appeal to the Texas Court of Appeals was achieved by Barry F. McNeil and his partners at the Texas law firm Haynes Boone, the UFC said.  

In late 2007, Couture resigned from the UFC. However, the Las-Vegas based organization countered that Couture, the UFC heavyweight champion, is still under contract to Zuffa for two more fights.  The court case is pending.

Antonio “Rodrigo” Nogueira is the interim heavyweight champ.