The COVID-19 pandemic crippled many companies with many movie show chains fearing chapter and eating places throughout the globe shutting down and by no means opening again up once more. Nevertheless it seems the pandemic stands out as the single best issue within the UFC’s current success.
Over the previous few years, the UFC has loved large positive aspects financially with revenues skyrocketing yr after yr. Whereas media rights such because the UFC’s cope with ESPN remains to be the most important issue in relation to total monetary positive aspects, the promotion has seen an enormous explosion in total ticket gross sales and sponsorship offers not like something that’s ever been seen earlier than.
Whereas there are a number of things which have performed a hand within the UFC’s success, the worldwide pandemic might have been the most important single motive why the promotion is greater and extra widespread than ever now.
“Going via COVID undoubtedly didn’t damage us,” UFC CEO Dana White informed Bloomberg just lately. “There have been no sports activities on TV apart from us.
“Fights that ought to have been doing 300,000 buys had been doing 1,000,000. Our fan base grew one thing like 68 p.c throughout COVID.”
A 68 p.c progress spurt is unreal, particularly contemplating the UFC had already been doing large enterprise with stay occasions and pay-per-view lengthy earlier than the worldwide pandemic.
Maybe the most important distinction now’s that the UFC has maintained the fan base gained from that point interval and solely continued to develop since then.
On Saturday evening, UFC 309 at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York produced a stay gate at over $16 million, which is the second highest for the promotion on the venue behind solely the debut card there that includes Conor McGregor in the primary occasion again in 2016 ($17.7 million).
A current card in Edmonton offered out with over 16,000 followers in attendance with a stay gate over $2.6 million.
In January, the UFC travels to the brand new Intuit Dome simply outdoors Los Angeles for a primary ever pay-per-view occasion on the cutting-edge enviornment that serves as residence to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. Touring has additionally continued to repay for the UFC with occasions deliberate in areas like Saudi Arabia and Sydney, Australia simply within the first two months of 2025.
The occasion in Saudi Arabia alone will produce an enormous monetary windfall because of web site charges paid by the federal government to deliver the UFC to the Center Jap nation. The earlier UFC occasion in Saudi Arabia got here together with a $20 million web site price and the subsequent would possibly develop even larger.
The subsequent main second in UFC historical past is available in 2025 when the promotion begins to barter a brand new TV deal that might utterly change the sport in comparison with the present contract with ESPN that was valued at $1.5 billion over 5 years. Many analysts consider the brand new UFC broadcast deal will crush the financials at present hooked up to exclusivity with ESPN and it appears like gamers equivalent to Amazon, Netflix and lots of others are going to get into the bidding battle.
In different phrases, the UFC isn’t slowing down any time quickly.
