MMA Entities Listed Among Forbes’ Most Valuable Combat Sports Promotions
Between mixed martial arts, boxing and professional wrestling, the combat sports industry is a lucrative juggernaut that generates billions annually. There’s a reason why it’s called prizefighting. But between promotions like ONE Championship, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, World Wrestling Entertainment and Matchroom Boxing, how do industry heavyweights compare financially? Forbes released its most valuable combat sports promotions of 2024, and here are the takeaways.
ONE Continues Surge
Valued at $1.3 billion with an estimated revenue of $140 million, ONE reached new heights when it held its first card in the United States. While still holding a top-tier MMA roster, ONE’s dedication to muay thai, kickboxing and submission grappling is the promotion’s greatest strength.Advertisement
UFC Holds Top Spot, Other Leagues Pushing into Top 10
Since 1993, the UFC has steadily grown into the world's biggest fight promotion and has the numbers to prove it. Locking down the top spot with a whopping value of $11.3 billion, the UFC cashed out in 2023 with an estimated revenue of $1.29 billion. Several decisions over the past decade have changed the UFC’s image as a violent alternative to boxing into the premier organization for combat.
“People always ask me what I do,” UFC president Dana White told
reporters at the UFC 300 post-fight presser. “I sell holy s***
moments for a living.”
From its partnership with ESPN to last year’s merger with the WWE, the UFC has a stranglehold on the industry.
PFL Making Moves
Despite the UFC’s dominance over MMA, it hasn’t stopped competitors like Professional Fighters League, which came in at No. 6, from challenging for the throne. PFL, the article noted, came in as the second-youngest company on the list with a structure that is designed much like football, baseball and basketball, with a regular season, playoffs and awarding a champion at the conclusion of a season.Combate Global, which has yet to make much of a dent in English-speaking regions due to many factors, including confusion on which cards are broadcasted live and which are tape-delayed, came in at No. 10.
Boxing Packs Lighter Punch
After a century plus of dominance, surprisingly, only one boxing entity cracked the Top 5 this year. Matchroom Boxing — the preeminent boxing promotion run by father-son duo Barry and Eddie Hearn — rounded out the list after ending 2023 with an estimated revenue of $134 million and a valuation of $850 million.With stars like Dmitry Bivol, Katie Taylor and Alycia Baumgardner, the UK-based company has one of the most loaded stables in the sport. Matchroom Boxing scored a significant win this year when its most-prized fighter, former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, knocked out Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. With the Hearns on the rise, Matchroom has replaced Top Rank, Premier Boxing Champions and Golden Boy amongst the pinnacle of the sport, and several high-key fighters like Jaron Ennis and Deontay Wilder have switched over with hopes of securing multi-million dollar fights.
Welcome to the Wide World of Wrestling
WWE has been the leading force in wrestling for decades, and after the success of Wrestlemania 40 earlier this month, that doesn’t look to change soon. But with millions of fans constantly tuning into Raw, Smackdown and NXT every week, the thirst for professional wrestling has grown to the point where competition is expected and even appreciated.While WWE secured the No. 2 spot with an estimated revenue of $1.33 billion and a value of $6.8 billion, five-year-old All Elite Wrestling, out of Jacksonville, Florida, has built up its own steam. After buying Ring of Honor in 2022, AEW has cemented itself as the WWE’s best competition since the turn of the century. With stars like Chris Jericho, MJF and The Young Bucks, the scrappy underdog came in as No. 3 with a value of $2 billion and an estimated revenue of $250 million.
