It was a long wait but 2023 saw Judge Richard Boulware finally issue his written opinion to grant class certification to the Le plaintiffs in the UFC antitrust lawsuit. The August Order, indicated that the plaintiffs in the ‘Bout Class’ could proceed together in its lawsuit that the promotion used anticompetitive methods to create a […]
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Top 10 MMA Business Stories of 2023 – No. 2 PFL purchases Bellator
The second biggest MMA Business Story of the year saw the end of Bellator and the potential rise of the Professional Fighters League as the second biggest MMA promotion in the industry. Bellator, long thought of as the silver medal in pro MMA to the UFC, became a victim of finances, budget cuts and poor […]
Top 10 MMA Business Stories of 2023 – No. 3 Francis Ngannou signs with PFL, boxes his way to relevancy
The sun set on Francis Ngannou’s UFC contract last year which mean that 2023 he was a free agent. He signed on with the Professional Fighters League in May 20223. Via PFL press release: As noted by Bloody Elbow’s John Nash, the deal included a non-exclusive contract to allow him to compete in professional boxing. […]
Top 10 MMA Business Stories of 2023: No. 4 Wondertwin Powers Activate UFC + WWE = TKO
The day after Wrestlemania, Endeavor acquired WWE making it the second biggest purchase this year. The plan was to have WWE and UFC combine to make one new company, TKO Holdings. The deal gave WWE an enterprise value of $9.3 billion. Endeavor would own 51% and WWE owned the remaining 49%. From our writeup in […]
Top 10 MMA Business Stories of 2023 – No. 5 Showtime closes sports division
Although this is more of a boxing story, Showtime closing its sports division meant the end for Bellator. The promotion’s fortune may have been decided independent of the network deciding to cut sports but it ends another outlet for MMA. Prior to Bellator, Strikeforce also was on the premium cable network. Viewers showed scant support […]