Tag: Dave Sholler

New UFC Owners Plan Massive Layoffs For Staff

The UFC’s new owners are already cleaning house in a big way. According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, talent group WME-IMG, who purchased the world’s biggest MMA promotion for a record-setting $4.2 billion in July, will lay off ‘under 15 percent’ of the company’s current staff, which adds up to somewhere in the neighborhood of

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The UFC’s new owners are already cleaning house in a big way.

According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, talent group WME-IMG, who purchased the world’s biggest MMA promotion for a record-setting $4.2 billion in July, will lay off ‘under 15 percent’ of the company’s current staff, which adds up to somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 employees.

The figures came from a source who chose to remain anonymous considering the announcement had not been made official yet. The firings will be made in the areas of sponsorships, licensing, public relations and production, but MMA Junkie noted that WME-IMG does not plan to reduce the UFC’s already-crowded event schedule.

If indeed announced, the move will come amidst an incredible amount of heat on the UFC’s new owners, as only yesterday, legendary former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre revealed he had terminated his UFC contract after WME-IMG had rescinded a previous offer from original owner Lorenzo Fertitta, and then failed to give him a viable fight in a timeline laid out by St-Pierre’s attorney. The promotion insists St-Pierre is still under contract and will remain that way until fulfilling his obligations.

That could certainly mean the UFC’s new ownership is off to a rocky start in the sport, as cutting corners and costs in a current climate where fighter pay and treatment is quickly becoming the most oft-discussed topic in MMA may not be the best course of action. Interim featherweight champion Jose Aldo recently asked for his release from the promotion, and longtime prominent UFC employees such as Joe Silva, Dave Sholler, and Giovanni Decker have all exited the fray quickly.

New ownership reportedly claimed that they would be at a great financial risk to “re-introduce” St-Pierre to the new UFC audience, a laughable prospect even if the fanbase has changed dramatically in the three years he has been away from fighting.

A fighters union has often been talked about and could be coming soon, and it’s also a driving force to hear huge names like St-Pierre and Aldo talk about fighter pay so openly and forcefully. But that doesn’t appear to be deterring WME-IMG from taking a cutthroat approach to cleaning house if this report proves true.

Interesting – and divisive – times are coming for the sport of MMA.

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Another Top UFC Executive Leaving As Dave Sholler Takes Job With Philadelphia 76ers

In addition to former CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and matchmaker Joe Silva, UFC’s top public relations executive, Dave Sholler, is also leaving the UFC by the end of 2016.

Sholler, who held the official job title of UFC Senior Vice President of Public …

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In addition to former CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and matchmaker Joe Silva, UFC’s top public relations executive, Dave Sholler, is also leaving the UFC by the end of 2016.

Sholler, who held the official job title of UFC Senior Vice President of Public Relations and Athlete Marketing and Development, will be parting ways with the UFC after joining Zuffa as an executive for the now defunct World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) in 2009.

Sholler moved on to work directly for the UFC when the owners of the promotion bought out WEC in 2010. He would go on to grow within the organization and become one of the more high-profile publicly acknowledged executives, even hosting a number of press conferences in place of Dana White. Most famously, Sholler was the man in the middle of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier when the two had their infamous media day brawl in Las Vegas, which produced one of the more classic MMA photos. The picture (see above), caught an unexpected Sholler between two of the most dangerous fighters in the world, resulting in an absolute look of terror on the face of the UFC P.R. man.

The announcement regarding Sholler’s departure from the world’s leading MMA promotion, which was purchased by WME | IMG for a reported $4.2 billion earlier this year, was made by Dana White on FOX Sports 1 earlier this week. Sholler would follow soon after White’s TV appearance with a small statement released on social media thanking the company for the “ride of a lifetime” before revealing that he will be moving on to accept a position with the Philadelphia 76ers, which is the NBA franchise near his hometown in Pennsylvania.

The statement released by Sholler on his official Twitter page this past Wednesday in three separate tweets reads as follows:

“As Dana [White] just announced on [FOX Sports 1], I’m heading home. I’ve accepted a job [with] my hometown team, the [Philadelphia 76ers]. This has been the ride of a lifetime. It’s time to go home, to the organization I grew up rooting for. Will miss fight game very, very much, but excited for the new challenge. Thank you ALL for the kind words. Amazing. Truly. Thank you. I’m closing this chapter with one final event: UFC 205].”

UFC Exec Denies Reports That Company Has Been Sold

Rumors regarding the potential sale of the UFC have been swirling for months now, but the situation reached a new height yesterday (June 20, 2016) when a report surfaced indicating that one hundred percent of the promotion had been sold for a record setting $4.2 billion. Flocombat.com claimed that “a group consisting of WME-IMG, the

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Rumors regarding the potential sale of the UFC have been swirling for months now, but the situation reached a new height yesterday (June 20, 2016) when a report surfaced indicating that one hundred percent of the promotion had been sold for a record setting $4.2 billion. Flocombat.com claimed that “a group consisting of WME-IMG, the Dalian Wanda Group, The Kraft Group and Tencent Holdings” had submitted the bid, and that the bid had essentially been accepted.

UFC Vice President of Public Relations Dave Sholler begs to differ, however, as he recently cited the reports as ‘false’:

“FloCombat.com’s report indicating that the UFC has been sold is false,” Sholler told MMAjunkie. “We’ve communicated that to our staff members tonight via an internal memo.”

The email in which Sholler referenced can be read in full below:

“A report today by FloCombat.com indicating that the company has been sold is false,” the email read. “This follows other false speculation in the press recently.

“Such misrepresentation of facts in the media negatively impacts our business, staff members and athletes. We have instructed our attorneys to investigate and take all appropriate legal actions against the parties publishing and contributing to these false stories.

“With International Fight Week and the historic UFC 200 rapidly approaching, we look forward to once again delivering a series of events that our fans won’s soon forget. We appreciate your hard work, diligence and commitment, and thank you for your focus as we continue to take the sport to new heights.”

The UFC has had a tendency in the past to shut down reports regarding huge news that they hadn’t yet announced themselves, but what do you make of the situation? The story regarding the potential sale of the UFC has been a popular one in recent weeks with some of the industry’s most well-respected reporters claiming that the move was almost a sure thing.

Stay tuned to LowKickMMA as more news regarding the situation unfolds.

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