Endeavor Officially Declines To Comment On Dana White Situation

People who have wondered if Endeavor, parent company of the UFC, would ever release a statement about the recent Dana White controversy, finally have their answer. It has been about a week since the New Year’s Eve incident that left White the cen…

People who have wondered if Endeavor, parent company of the UFC, would ever release a statement about the recent Dana White controversy, finally have their answer. It has been about a week since the New Year’s Eve incident that left White the center of a ton of negative press, with some even calling for him…

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Endeavor Earnings Call Documents Show UFC Grosses $1 Billion Annually

Documents from the Endeavor earnings call recently show that the UFC grosses $1 billion annually. Thanks to a new credit analysis from investor service company Moody’s, which was released on May 25 for the UFC Holdings, LLC., we have a better idea of how much money the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion is…

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Documents from the Endeavor earnings call recently show that the UFC grosses $1 billion annually.

Thanks to a new credit analysis from investor service company Moody’s, which was released on May 25 for the UFC Holdings, LLC., we have a better idea of how much money the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion is generating for parent company Endeavor.

This analysis stems from Endeavor’s May 12 earning’s call and recent SEC filings. The UFC’s earnings from the first quarter of 2022 were $1 billion. This was tracked from April 2021 to March 2022.

These numbers indicate double digit growth for the UFC, however, that’s largely credited to the return of live audiences. Endeavor CEO Jason Lubin noted on the call that the UFC’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) has held steady at 21% a year since 2005.

Lubin also said that fighter pay has increased 26% CAGR since 2005. With fighter pay being $4.3 million in 2005, this means it comes out to about $178.8 million last year.

That number puts it at 17.5% of their total revenue. These numbers indicate that the UFC continues to be Endeavor’s biggest earner for Endeavor’s Owned Sports Properties. Endeavor’s Owned Sports Properties generated revenue of $1.121 billion over the past 12 months, meaning the UFC is responsible for about 90% of all Owned Sports Properties revenue.

You can read the full transcript from Endeavor’s Q1 Earnings Call here.

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Endeavor Quarterly Earnings Report Reveals Best 9-Month Stretch Ever

Endeavor Group Holdings has announced a profitable year after the company’s third annual earnings report surfaced.

The publicly-traded company owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). After enduring a pandemic-stricken 2020 fiscal year, the …

Ari Emanuel

Endeavor Group Holdings has announced a profitable year after the company’s third annual earnings report surfaced.

The publicly-traded company owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). After enduring a pandemic-stricken 2020 fiscal year, the company exceeded expectations with a huge swing of $1.4 billion in revenue for the quarter. For reference, the company reported a net loss of $21.8 million at this same time last year.

Driven by live events and the pay-per-view market, the UFC helped Endeavor enjoy another lucrative quarter. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel shared in a statement how well the company has performed and believes momentum will continue in the entertainment sector.

“We continue to capitalize on the elevated demand for premium content and live events coming out of the pandemic,” Ari Emanuel said in a statement. “Given our unique positioning within the sports and entertainment industry and our ability to leverage powerful secular content trends, we see no signs of this momentum waning through the end of the year.”

The UFC accrued $288 million in revenue for the third quarter of this year. While the figure is actually lower than in 2020, that’s only the case because of a $25 million contract termination fee the UFC took part in. Additionally, the UFC saw a moderate increase in revenue due to its schedule being pushed back to the third quarter from the pandemic.

Endeavor and the UFC are in a healthy financial position. As it stands, Endeavor reported $1.029 billion cash on hand. The figures have eclipsed the previous numbers announced in the last quarterly earnings report. When 2021 comes to a close, Endeavor expects its revenue to reach anywhere in the ballpark of “between $4.89 and $4.95 billion.”.

Do you believe the UFC and Endeavor will continue to see financials outperform expectations?

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Endeavor Boasts About UFC’s ‘Biggest First Half’ In Earnings Report

Endeavor is quite happy with the success of the UFC and the momentum isn’t likely to subside anytime soon. The UFC has continued to be Endeavor’s leading money-maker. In the latest earnings report, it was revealed that the UFC had “three so…

Endeavor is quite happy with the success of the UFC and the momentum isn’t likely to subside anytime soon. The UFC has continued to be Endeavor’s leading money-maker. In the latest earnings report, it was revealed that the UFC had “three sold-out, arena record pay-per-view events.” Endeavor claims the success had lead to the UFC’s […]

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Former UFC Fighters File Lawsuit Against The UFC And Endeavor

Former UFC fighters are now filing another lawsuit against the UFC and its parent company Endeavor Group Holdings. A new lawsuit has been filed by C.B. Dollaway and Kajan Johnson against the UFC and Endeavor Group Holdings that is similar to another cl…

Former UFC fighters are now filing another lawsuit against the UFC and its parent company Endeavor Group Holdings. A new lawsuit has been filed by C.B. Dollaway and Kajan Johnson against the UFC and Endeavor Group Holdings that is similar to another class-action style lawsuit currently being litigated that represents fighters like Cung Le, Nate Quarry, Jon Fitch, and Kyle Kingsbury. […]

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Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel Refers To Zhang Weili As ‘Li Na’

Ari EmanuelThe UFC went public on Thursday, which, unfortunately for Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, led to a very public slip-up. The UFC owner was discussing the company’s decision to go public and the hugely successful UFC 261 event. The card was co-headlined by the UFC’s first Chinese champion, Zhang Weili. However, Emanuel didn’t appear to know […]

Ari Emanuel

The UFC went public on Thursday, which, unfortunately for Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, led to a very public slip-up.

The UFC owner was discussing the company’s decision to go public and the hugely successful UFC 261 event. The card was co-headlined by the UFC’s first Chinese champion, Zhang Weili. However, Emanuel didn’t appear to know who she was (H/T MiddleEasy).

“Well, here’s what I would say to you, even during the pandemic—we didn’t have live audiences, we didn’t have commercial PPVs—we beat our EBITA [earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization] number by 10 percent,” Emanuel told CNBC.

“Now with the re-opening, you just saw we had live audiences for the first time. In Houston, we’re going to have a live audience. In July we’re having another live audience. Our direct-to-consumer business on Fight Pass is up 40 percent. Our commercial numbers and marketing numbers are up. China is going to be bigger than ever.

“Actually, because of the fight—even though our Chinese champion lost, Li Na—there was over a billion video views out of China.”

If you’re wondering who Li Na is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. There is not – nor has there ever been – a Li Na on the UFC roster. However, it’s possible that Emanuel did confuse Zhang with Liang Na, though how he could mix up a headliner and champion with someone who fought in the very first fight on the card is anyone’s guess.

The one thing Emanuel did get right is that the Chinese champion did in fact lose her title at UFC 261. Coming off a ‘Fight-of-the-Year’ favourite against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang was felled by a Rose Namajunas headkick early in the first round.

Immediately after the loss, Zhang expressed interest in a rematch against Namajunas, something that seemed to peak the interest of Dana White. Whether that fight actually comes to fruition remains to be seen. If Emanuel will know who Zhang is by then is an entirely other question.

Do you think Ari Emanuel knows who Zhang Weili is?