Jon Jones‘ return helped make UFC 285 the highest-grossing commercial pay-per-view event within the past year, contributing to Endeavor-owned sports properties’ Q1 revenue of $353.3 million, a 19% increase from the same period in 2022.
Jon Jones’ long-awaited return to UFC proved to be incredibly successful as the new heavyweight champion helped to build UFC 285 into the biggest selling card of the past year. The event also attracted a sellout crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While total sales for the pay-per-view event were not disclosed, Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC, hailed UFC 285 as a record-setting card for the past year. It achieved high marks while reporting its first-quarter results for 2023.
Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin said during an investor call, “At UFC, we continued to deliver more record-breaking events across the globe.” He highlighted UFC 284 in Perth as Australia’s highest-grossing event in history, while UFC 285 in Las Vegas was the UFC’s highest-grossing commercial pay-per-view event within the past twelve months. Additionally, UFC 286 in London was the highest-grossing event in the O2 Arena’s history.
Since 2021, the UFC has seen a staggering number of sellout events as it continues to return to arenas amidst the global pandemic. Out of 38 total live shows, 36 have been sold out, with the only exceptions being UFC 283 in Brazil and a recent UFC event in Kansas City headlined by Max Holloway against Arnold Allen. Endeavor’s owned sports properties, led by the UFC, reported revenue of $353.3 million for the quarter, a 19 percent increase from the same time in 2022. This increase was attributed to media rights fees, sponsorships, event-related revenue, and pay-per-views, with an additional pay-per-view card during the first quarter also contributing to the highest amount of revenue.
Although the UFC usually only runs one pay-per-view event per month, March saw two cards, including the record-setting UFC 285 and UFC 286 in London. Early plans for another month with two pay-per-views this summer include UFC 290 scheduled on July 8 and a second pay-per-view tentatively planned for July 29. The UFC and WWE are expected to merge and become a new publicly traded company as part of an upcoming deal, with the intention for the combined company to go public later this year. Endeavor executives have reported that regulatory issues need to be cleared before any deals can be finalized, and a new name for the merged company is anticipated to be announced in the coming months once the deal is completed.