Not content with trying to ship the young & improving Devin Harris to Jersey in exchange for aging alleged ass-grabber Jason Kidd, Mark Cuban is smack in the middle of another complicated according to Bloody Elbow.com :
According to Adam Swift over on Sherdog Mark Cuban has filed suit in federal district court against Zuffa LLC and Randy Couture. Cuban’s HDNet Fights “asks the Texas court to provide the company with declaratory relief — a ruling on when Couture’s promotional contract will expire.”Cuban has spoken recently about Zuffa’s contracts and their possible non-compliance with the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.
Could this also be a tactic that HDNet Fights uses in it’s seeking of declaratory relief? Inclusion of MMA under the act and it’s provisions against multi-fight, long term contracts between Fighter and Promoter would greatly affect the value of Zuffa’s UFC. Zuffa’s number one asset is it’s exclusive contracts with it’s some 250 fighters. I’m not sure if HDNet Fights/Cuban would be able to launch a legal motion to have UFC covered by the Ali Act or if that is something Couture would have to sue Zuffa over. As Zuffa steps up it’s legal wranglings against Couture, one has to believe that either Cuban or Couture will seek to use the Ali act in the legal warfare that is ensuing.
Trying to hold on to Couture and basically retire him may open a up a Pandora’s box for Zuffa in regards to their contracts.