TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel is now a billionaire, according to Bloomberg Index (via MMA Fighting), which should come as no surprise when you consider UFC continues to shatter revenue records — even without top star Conor McGregor.
That $4 billion investment is starting to feel like a bargain.
The TKO banner also houses WWE, the newest addition to the Netflix streaming catalog (which came with this hefty price tag). UFC is expected to command an even stronger bid when its ESPN broadcast rights expire later this year.
“I don’t think it’s Fight Club,” Emanuel told Bloomberg. “I remember watching WWE — WWF, actually — when I was young. Paul [Levesque] has done an amazing job with the WWE, with Raw, SmackDown, PLEs, NXT. And UFC is a sport that Dana [White] created over 30 years ago. Didn’t exist. His vision. You don’t have to explain the rules of the UFC to anybody in the world.”
Apparently you do, according to this longtime referee.
“When you have guys that are visionaries, take whatever comes through on the cases with Vince McMahon who is no longer with the company, and now Paul, Triple H, is running that,” Emanuel continued. “They understand, kind of, the heartbeat. The skills I’ve maybe learned in the talent agency side have helped, but now we’re partners. So, now, that’s how I look at it. You just have to let the talent — and those guys are talent — do what they do and support them with all that they need.”
In completely unrelated news, UFC athletes like Puja Tomar are still getting paid $10,000 per fight.