UFC Revenue Spikes Following WWE Merger

UFC finances for the first half of 2023 show $611.9 million in revenue, despite the fighters themselves receiving a smaller piece of the pie.

A week after its $10 billion merger with WWE became official under Endeavor‘s TKO Group Holdings conglomerate, the UFC reported strong finances for the first half of 2023.

Total revenues of $611.9 million for the first six months of 2023 was a 16% increase year over year. Media rights covered most of that, with a $50 million YoY increase to $438.5 million. Live event revenue soared 57% to $63.7 million, sponsorship revenue increased 12%, and consumer product licensing revenue went up 9%.

Here’s a breakdown of the key metrics from UFC’s full 2022 fiscal year:

UFC reported record revenue of $1.14 billion. This is up from $1.03 billion for 2021, with total operating expenses decreasing by $45 million to $595.7 million.
Net income increased from $272.3 million to $387.2 million — a 34% increase that will be even higher if UFC’s fiscal trends extend to the second half of the year.
UFC’s big year in 2022 did have its downsides. Fighter pay was down $32.8 million for the year despite the spike in both revenue and profits. This underscores an industry-wide problem in combat sports and mixed martial arts where revenue isn’t shared equitably.
LowKickMMA estimated that 2022 revenue sharing decreased from just under 20% to 13-15%. For context, unionized professional leagues like the NBA share revenue with the owners at a 50-50 split.

It was a record 2022 for UFC, with 2023 looking like it could blow those banner numbers out of the water. While its fighters struggle to get a commensurate piece of the pie, UFC’s financial outlook has never been better.