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.
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With the backing of Amazon Prime and Sky Sports, ONE has a span
that reaches over 190 countries.
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.