UFC News: New report puts WWE $400 million ahead of UFC despite huge $4.5 billion difference in valuations

After a nearly 30-year trajectory, the UFC has emerged as the largest martial arts promotion, leaving behind the controversies of its heyday. Leading the promotion is Dana White, overtaking ONE Championship to become the most valuable MMA organization in the world. However, despite being valued at $11.3 billion, recent reports indicate that UFC's revenue in 2023 will be lower than that of its professional wrestling peer promotion, WWE.

In 2023, the UFC and WWE merged to form TKO Group Holdings, forming a broader ecosystem in the combat sports world. Since then, both promotions have garnered record numbers at several events. However, WWE slightly exceeds the UFC in terms of revenue, and that number is quite significant.

WWE will make more money than UFC in 2023

forbes We recently released a new article ranking the biggest martial arts promotions based on market value in 2023. Without a doubt, Dana White's UFC took first place and was the only promotion with an 11-digit rating. Dana White's total promotional revenue in 2023 reached $1.29 billion. The UFC generated significantly more revenue than the second-largest MMA promotion, ONE Championship, which earned a total of $130 million last year. Still, WWE clearly saved up even more money!

WWE experienced a change of government. Paul “Triple H” Levesque Since then, he has been at the forefront of creative endeavors. vince mcmahon Resigned due to suspicion of malicious misconduct. The pro-wrestling giant was valued at $6.8 billion, but it made significantly more money than the UFC, earning $1.33 billion in 2023. On the other hand, when TKO released their annual results, the situation was completely different. He led the charge against WWE.

TKO Group annual report shows UFC outperforming WWE

According to a report shared by TKO Group, total revenue in 2023 reached $1.7 billion, of which $1.3 billion came via the UFC and the rest from WWE. However, it is important to note that while the report includes Dana White's promotion-wide earnings, it is not the same for WWE. The revenue details included WWE's share from September 12, 2023 through the end of last year.

Nevertheless, it is also important to note that Dana White has seen his promotional revenue increase by 13% from 2022. Additionally, promotions reportedly increased revenue. 600 million dollars In the first half of 2023 alone. So there's no question that the UFC has topped the annual report since the merger took place around the last quarter of last year.

The UFC has clearly proven itself to be the best in the field of combat sports. But the world of professional wrestling is a completely different world. The entertainment and storytelling elements have contributed to his WWE longevity of over 60 years, and with regime changes his WWE has broken box office records multiple times. It remains to be seen what 2024 will look like for both promotions.