The Ultimate Fighting Championship had a very successful 2019. Under the new ESPN deal, the UFC saw one of its biggest years to date with nearly $1 billion in revenue for the mixed martial arts promotion.
Of course, a majority of the cash flow likely saw benefits from the check-writing from the UFC’s news business partner.
“According to the various projections made by the company back in 2016, the total revenue in 2019 would be anywhere from $980 million to $1.1 billion and their EBITDA margins would be 50 percent,” business analyst John Nash said, via Bloody Elbow.
“While I do not think they did that well, the new ESPN deal had added hundreds of millions to their guaranteed contractual revenue. Add in new international TV deals and increased sponsorship revenue and it’s hard to see how they don’t break the record. At least $800 million in revenue seems almost guaranteed.”
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UFC president Dana White previously said that the promotion was trending towards a major year and hinted that the money was flowing in throughout the year.
“2019 was the biggest year in the company’s history,” White wrote on Twitter on Festivus — also known as Tuesday, December 23. “I wanna thank all the fighters, the fans, the media and my staff at @ufc . I can’t wait for 2020! #StillKickinAss”
The UFC capped off the busy calendar year on Saturday, December 21 with UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The 2020 schedule will officially kickoff on Saturday, January 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with UFC 246. The pay-per-view event will feature the highly-anticipated return of former two-division champion Conor McGregor, who headlines the event against fan-favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
We also have the possibility that Dana White also makes his long-teased move to boxing promotion with ZUFFA Boxing in the coming year.
Who is ready for another fun, action-packed year of combat sports?
