The Rise of Combat Sports: UFC, MMA and Wrestling Take Center Stage as Most Valuable Promotions in Forbes List”.
The combat sports industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, with MMA and professional wrestling becoming increasingly popular. According to Mike Ozanian and Justin Teitelbaum of Forbes, the UFC is currently the most valuable combat sports promotion, valued at an impressive $11.3 billion. WWE follows closely behind at $6.8 billion, while AEW comes in third with a valuation of $2 billion.
One of the key factors contributing to this growth is the UFC’s success in recent years, including their milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view event which generated a gate of $16.5 million and became the third-highest-grossing event in company history. This growth is also evident in the massive increase in value from when the Fertitta brothers bought the UFC for just $2 million in 2001 and sold it for an astounding $4 billion to Endeavor in 2016, resulting in a 72 percent annual return on investment during their ownership.
In addition to MMA, boxing promotions such as Matchroom Boxing ($850 million) and Top Rank Boxing ($550 million) have also experienced significant growth over the past year, with Premier Boxing Championship and Golden Boy Promotions rounding out the top five boxing promotions by value at $450 million and $400 million respectively. However, despite this growth, there are still contentious issues surrounding fighter pay that need to be addressed. While Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua were recently named among Forbes’ highest-paid athletes for 2023, no MMA fighters made it onto the list due to ongoing disputes over pay restrictions for fighters within these promotions. In response to these concerns, a recent settlement required the UFC to pay out a substantial sum ($335 million) to former fighters who had accused them of pay restrictions aiming to improve conditions for fighters moving forward.
