UFC Receiving Celebrity Push from Famous Investors

UFC has hit the mainstream after ownership group WME-IMG brought in 23 celebrity investors to become part owners of the promotion.

Conan O’Brien announced that he and 22 others became part-owners of the UFC on his late night talk show Conan last night.

Many were wondering what changes WME-IMG would bring to the UFC after purchasing the promotion from ZUFFA and taking full ownership earlier this year. It seems like a mainstream push is one of the benefits the ownership shift will have.

The full list of investors has not been revealed yet, but includes figures in both entertainment and sports. NFL stars Tom Brady and Cam Newton, tennis star Serena Williams, A-list actors Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg, and Sylvester Stallone, pop star Adam Levine, and late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien have been named thus far.

With fighter pay becoming a prevalent issue given the situation of Al Iaquinta, and the recent surge for seeking “money fights,” a move like this might bring the sport to new levels. This is perfectly timed as well, with the promotion’s current TV deal with FOX set to expire in the near future. Big-time sport leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB have signed massive distribution deals that have led to incredibly high player contracts.

The lowest a fighter can be paid in the Octagon is $12,500 in a night including Reebok sponsorship. With moves like this and most likely many more in the works (Dana White claimed that WME-IMG has many plans for the UFC, and that ZUFFA turned down more luxurious offers to go with WME-IMG), expect that number to shoot up considerably.

New owner Ari Emanuel put things quite simply, saying, “I think it’s a mainstream sport now.” The many celebrity connections of WME-IMG will certainly help MMA grow considerably in pop culture, and gain that mainstream status quickly.

The future is very bright for both the UFC, and its 500+ fighters. The days of 10 and 10 contracts are soon to be a thing of the past. All that is left is a fighter’s union to negotiate a revenue share when the time comes.