The UFC continues to be a big hit for Endeavor, who revealed their fourth quarter numbers in an earnings call on Tuesday.
The call, opened up by a ChatGPT-like, A.I. version of Endeavor chief Ari Emmanuel, revealed $5.3 billion in revenue for the company, with a net income of $321.7 million for fiscal year 2022.
Double-digit growth in events and media rights year-over-year was led by 21 consecutive sold out UFC events. The UFC has sold out 29 events in total since returning to the road in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the fourth quarter, Endeavor’s sports properties, which include UFC and PBR (professional bull riding), were up 20% from the previous year, coming in at $1.3 billion.
That sports portfolio could soon include WWE. The professional wrestling institution is reportedly up for sale, with Vince McMahon returning to the company he built following a sexual misconduct scandal that erupted last year. That scandal saw the WWE’s board of directors investigate millions of dollars in payouts McMahon made to staffers with whom he’d had consensual affairs.
Just six months later, McMahon proved too big for cancel culture, returning to the promotion with a mandate to “support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives.”
Emmanuel addressed the WWE question in Tuesday’s earnings call by stating that “WWE is an unbelievable product. We have had a long-standing relationship with them for over two decades.” Yet at the same time, Emanuel noted that Endeavor “would not do anything to change our position right now,” per a report by the Sports Business Journal.
As for the UFC, it continues to grow on social media — an area where UFC President Dana White has pushed to make inroads, by appearing with the likes of Logan Paul and the NELK Boys, among other popular social media figures. On TikTok alone, the promotion saw growth of 65% year-over-year.
