Endeavor in the black thanks to UFC

Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Fast Company Endeavor CEO Ari Emmanuel speaks at a 2015 media event.It’s no secret that while much of the world was struggling to stay afloat in 2020, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC was thriving. Between the easy event hosting availability of the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas, their lucrative ESPN broadcast deal, and a series of events on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi – for which the promotion was not only reportedly hosted free of charge, but also compensated for lost ticket sales – the world’s largest MMA promotion headed into 2021 firing on all cylinders.

For more definitive evidence of their success, look no further than the…