The second biggest business story of the year shook the state of MMA. In March, Zuffa purchased its biggest rival, Strikeforce. It was reported that the purchase price was $40 million which included some debt repayment by Zuffa for Strikeforce. The deal occurred as Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, main financial backer of Strikeforce, wanted to […]
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11 for 11: No. 3 Zuffa offers its fighters insurance
This year Zuffa offered its 400 fighters in the UFC and Strikeforce health insurance beginning this past June. Zuffa is paying the premiums for all of its fighters under contract. The accident-insurance coverage covers up to $50,000 (annually) of medical costs for each fighter. Its an unprecedented move to cover fighters and its a sign […]
11 for 11: No. 4 Injuries plague PPVs; Buy rates down
Injuries have plagued 2011 as many of the UFC’s top stars have had to postpone or delay fights this year. GSP, Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and Rashad Evans are just a sample of the fighters that were scratched from PPV cards due to injury. This does not even touch upon the […]
11 for 11: No. 5 Culinary workers versus Zuffa
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 became one of the biggest opponents of the UFC in 2011. It has helped opposed the legalization of professional MMA in New York state and has requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate Zuffa for possible antitrust investigations. In late August, the union sent a letter to the FTC […]
11 for 11: No 6 Viacom purchases Bellator
Viacom purchased a majority stake in Bellator this fall and announced that it would move its newest purchase to Spike TV in 2013. With the UFC looking for a new network dance partner most of 2011, many believed that Bellator would make the move to Spike. The purchase of Bellator confirmed the speculation. Spike TV […]