UFC and WWE report strong year-on-year growth in 2023 as they make their first major financial disclosure as newly merged company TKO Group Holdings – after finalising the deal in September

• Publicly listed company was formalised on NYSE just over a month ago 
• UFC’s mammoth deal with ESPN accounts for a large chunk of franchise returns 
• Listen to exclusive interviews on THE HOOK – Mail Sport’s new boxing podcast 

UFC and WWE have both reported strong year-on-year growth in the release of their first major financial disclosure since their historic merger. 

It was announced in April that WWE would be sold to the Endeavour group and together would be merged with UFC to form a brand new company.

Endeavor – who own UFC – will hold a 51 per cent stake in the combined company, while WWE shareholders will hold 49 per cent, according to the agreement.

The new publicly listed company has been named TKO Group Holdings, and was formalised just over a month ago. 

It was confirmed that the deal values the new company at more than £17.3billion ($21.4bn) according to the companies, with UFC valued at £9.8bn ($12.1bn) and WWE at £7.5bn ($9.3bn).

And those stratospheric valuations have been backed up by TKO’s filing of the two sports franchises’ financial revenues for 2022 and 2023, which was handed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday. 

Endeavor – the parent company of UFC –  finalised WWE merger to form a new listed company named ‘TKO Group Holdings’ in September

The first major financial disclosure from the new company came ahead of the third-quarter earnings call next week

In 2023’s first two quarters, UFC made £493.7million ($611.9m) in revenue from media rights and content, live events, sponsorship and consumer product licensing – with media rights and content making up the largest chunk. 

UFC’s media rights and content – which largely consists of their mammoth ESPN deal – paid out £181m ($224.1m) in the first quarter and £171m ($211.7m) in the second. 

Live events and sponsorships accounted for £51.5m ($63.8m) and £43.8m ($54.2m) respectively. 

The franchise’s year-on-year return percentages were also strong, with an 18 per cent increase on the first quarter from 2022 to 2023, and a 14 per cent rise in the second quarter. 

WWE recorded equally strong returns, including a stunning second quarter, which saw the franchise grow 25 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2023. 

The franchise has made £571.2m ($706.9m) under the same metrics as UFC, making £240.4m ($297.6m) in the first quarter, and £331.5m ($410.3)m.

Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque – CCO of WWE – Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel, and Dana White of UFC marked the merger at the New York Stock Exchange

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