Mac-Less UFC Generated Record Revenue In 2023

Conor McGregor made enough money that he no longer needs UFC, which may explain his prolonged absence. Well, it turns out UFC doesn’t need him either, based on record revenue in 2023 — the second straight year that did not feature a “Notorious” fight.

UFC doesn’t need stars (especially the expensive ones).

That’s because UFC is the star, which is how it manages to shovel a sh*tload of boring APEX cards into the annual lineup and still generate record-breaking revenue. The promotion was up 13 percent to a whopping $1.3 billion in 2023 with adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) increasing 11 percent to $756 million.

In unrelated news, Brendson Ribeiro made a measly $10,000 for his fight at UFC 298.

UFC live events revenue saw the biggest jump from 2022, improving 34 percent to a record $168 million, primarily from ticket revenue and site fees. In addition, sponsorship revenue jumped 18 percent to a record $196 million, a number that is likely to increase even more with the addition of Bud Light and its “core values” in 2024.

More money, more Ferraris?

“TKO is off to a strong start following record financial performance in 2023 at both UFC and WWE,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of TKO. “We secured Anheuser-Busch as the official beer partner of UFC, delivered a transformative deal to bring WWE’s Raw to Netflix beginning in 2025, and expanded our international footprint in important growth markets. We have more conviction than ever in the combination of these businesses and TKO’s ability to drive topline growth and margin expansion, generate meaningful free cash flow, and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.”

Despite frequent pay plaints from multiple fighters, an ongoing antitrust lawsuit, and a landslide of bad publicity, UFC continues to plow full steam ahead, a financial juggernaut with global appeal. Expect that success to continue with the addition of the UFC 299 and UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) cards over the next few weeks.

A “powerhouse” indeed.