TKO Holdings Rewards Most Valuable UFC Employee

While many members of the MMA media and fan community have taken shots at the UFC as a profit-hoarding entity that undervalues those who earn it all that money in the first place, a recent announcement that one UFC employee took home a whopping $20-million bonus for 2023 puts that notion to rest. According to financial disclosures for the prior financial year, TKO Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel received the cash reward as a bonus not tied to any particular performance metric, showing the company might just be one of the most generous in the world. “We are happy to share that Mr. Emanuel has been rewarded for his key contributions to the UFC,” the company said in a release announcing the bonus. “Nobody has put more blood, sweat and tears into making the UFC the world’s top combat sports organization and it’s our pleasure to provide suitable compensation for everything Mr. Emanuel does to keep fans on the edge of their seats every week.”