As the UFC continues its planning for its blockbuster UFC bout at the White House in June, parent company TKO is warning investors that it is a one-time event that will likely cost it tens of millions of dollars … and that’s just fine.
On TKO’s earnings call Wednesday, president and COO Mark Shapiro told Wall Street analysts that the White House event, currently slated for June 14th on the South Lawn, will cost “upwards of $60 million.”
“I think by the time we get done, all is said and done with the event, and with what we pay the fighters and the fan fest we’re gonna have, that could move north,” Shapiro added. “It’s definitely not moving south.”
He said that the company is engaging corporate partners and others who he thinks can offset about half the cost of the event, meaning that the company is planning for $30 million in losses, or more if the costs continue to rise.
That being said, the company is also framing it as a one-time spectacle that could be a huge draw to the mixed martial arts promotion, which is just kicking off its multi-year deal with Paramount global.
“I wanna be clear about something: We will not profit from the White House event independently. We will not be making money on America’s 250th anniversary,” Shapiro said. “This is an investment for the long term. This is about earned media.
“This is about sampling, new fans, casual viewers, a spectacle on a stage that will ultimately expand our audience, our viewership, and our success on Paramount+,” he added. “We see this once-in-a-lifetime stage as a strategic investment to drive subscriber acquisition at Paramount+, massive audience sampling for the UFC overall, and Super Bowl-like earned media across the globe.”
UFC, of course, hosted a one-off event at the Sphere in Las Vegas in 2024, and Shapiro indicated that, while the focus is on the White House fight, TKO will have its eyes open for other one-offs that can drive attention to the sport.
“We’ll be the first one and maybe the only one ever on the South Lawn of the White House,” he said. “I can’t tell you that we have any events coming up at the Kremlin, but we will definitely be looking for more one-time events.”
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