State official: TKO is ‘very good at instilling fear’ due to WWE & UFC revenue
New reporting from The Guardian Wednesday has the estimated amount that Paramount Skydance is paying TKO for Zuffa Boxing broadcast rights in addition to some interesting quotes regarding the tactics of WWE and UFC’s parent company.
Longtime boxing writer Thomas Hauser delved into the emergence of the new Zuffa entity and the concerns around fighter pay that have been a part of the conversation around UFC for years.
In a passage regarding the controversial amendments around the Ali Act that TKO would like to put into place, Hauser wrote that several arenas like MSG and the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles support the amendments as do various officials with state athletic commissions.
“TKO and Zuffa play hardball,” one state regulator told the Guardian. “And they generate so much revenue from WWE and UFC that no one wants to cross them.”
“They’re very good at instilling fear,” another official said.
The article also goes into a Zuffa Boxing contract in full detail, a contract which reads very similar to UFC contracts with regard to fighter’s rights, fights they have to be offered every year and that process, merchandise rights, and more.
“Many of these rights, while not exclusive beyond the term of the contract, extend non-exclusively in perpetuity,” Hauser notes. WWE contracts were not mentioned.
From the article, Hauser stated that it’s believed TKO is getting $100 million per year for 12 boxing cards which is a wide gap from the the $1.1 billion UFC gets per year for its 40+ numbered events and Fight Night cards via their new seven year domestic rights deal.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.