Latest news with #AliAct
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How long will Tom Aspinall reign? Plus, UFC Abu Dhabi, Hulk Hogan, Ali Act The Craic
Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall for a loaded episode of The Craic. The lads kick off with a check in on the UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins, before discussing the recent death of Hulk Hogan and his lasting legacy. Then, they preview the beginning of Tom Aspinall's title reign and touch on the crop of potential challengers to the throne. Finally, they break down proposed amendments to the Ali Act, before closing the show by previewing UFC Abu Dhabi.
USA Today
23-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
TKO Boxing granted licenses for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford; exec reveals 2026 plans
LAS VEGAS – TKO Boxing's inaugural event is official by regulatory standards. While TKO Boxing has for months expected to be the promoter for the upcoming Sept. 13 event headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, the Nevada Athletic Commission made it official at a commission meeting Wednesday. While Dana White has long publicly expressed disinterest in stadium shows, his first time being the lead man of a boxing event will come in the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. In conjunction with Saudi Arabia's Sela, White enters the boxing game with a massive show that's set to air on Netflix. UFC executive Marc Ratner attended Wednesday's meeting in person and thanked the commission for their approvals, indicating TKO intends to hold multiple events in the state in 2026. "We're thrilled to now be an official promoter," Ratner told MMA Junkie after the conclusion of the meeting. "... Our first event will be Sept. 13 with 'Bud' Crawford and Canelo, which is going to be the biggest fight in the history of the state of Nevada. Next year, we'll be doing a lot of fights here in a little smaller, obviously, basis. "... We're planning on 12 to 15 fights (in 2026) with the majority here in Las Vegas. These will be smaller fights, more like the Contender (Series). We're looking for people just in the beginning of their careers and building them up. So it'll be much smaller than that. This will be good for the boxers." It's unclear exactly what impact White and TKO's entry into boxing will have on the sport as a whole. However, the Nevada license comes the same day that a TKO-backed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act was introduced by U.S. representatives Brian Jack (R-Ga.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.). The Ali Act entered into federal law in 2000 as an effort to protect boxers from exploitative practices. It does not apply to MMA fighters or other combat sports athletes. The major change being sought in the amendment is the allowance of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), as opposed to the current sanctioning organizations. Should the UBO system be implemented, it would run parallel to the current system. The legislation would likely open the door for boxing promotions to follow a UFC-like model, with promotions granting their own titles and running their own events.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UFC, WWE owners 'close' to Saudi Arabia deal for new boxing league; report $2.8B revenue in 2024
TKO, the parent company of the UFC and WWE, is nearing an agreement with the Saudi Arabian public wealth fund to create a new boxing league, TKO Group Holdings COO Mark Shapiro told investors on Wednesday's earnings call. 'Everybody knows we're in talks with the Saudis, but to give you a little more color, I will tell you that we are close on an agreement with the Saudis on the creation of a boxing league where we, TKO, would be the producer, the promoter, and responsible for all day-to-day operations of the venture, whereby we would receive a fee of $10 million-plus,' Shapiro said during the question and answer portion of the call. Shapiro stressed that TKO will not be putting any capital into the project, and will not be absorbing any added financial risk. That will fall on the Saudi Arabia Public Investment fund, though Shapiro did say TKO will stand to earn equity in the venture over a five-year period, depending on certain benchmarks. Shapiro went on to say that TKO sent a delegation including WWE president Nick Khan and UFC COO Lawrence Epstein to meet with Saudi representatives in London earlier this week, and the two sides are now 'awfully close' to a deal. Shapiro said the project would be 'its own league' with regular boxing events scheduled throughout the year. 'I think on top of that, you should know that as part of the partnership we would be the promoter, producer and event operator of four large-scale kind of super fights, as I call them, that would air really probably two this year and two in 2025,' Shapiro said. 'Those may or may not fall into the boxing league itself. They may just be one-offs. But we would be paid a fee to act as the promoter, the producer and the event operator.' It is currently unclear whether Shapiro meant two events in 2026 following two events in 2025. Shapiro also addressed questions about TKO's plans regarding the Muhammad Ali Act, the federal legislation governing professional boxing in the United States. TKO CEO Ari Emanuel previously suggested that the Ali Act hurt boxing, but hinted at possible changes to the law under the new Trump administration. Shapiro insisted that TKO was not actively trying to repeal the Ali Act, but did question its effect on the sport of boxing. 'Look, the Ali Act has flaws,' Shapiro said. 'We believe it is actually possible to improve the current system, to facilitate more opportunities for boxers and to regrow the sport of boxing in America. That's where we're at. We're not in there actively inside pushing, drafting legislation, lobbying legislators. That's ultimately for somebody else. Whether it stays or goes, we think the opportunity for boxing is extraordinary for us, in particular.' Along with Wednesday's earnings call, TKO published a financial disclosure reporting total revenues of $642.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, with overall revenues of $2.804 billion for the whole of 2024. The company's 2024 net income of $6.4 million was a sizable decrease from the previous year, owing mostly to the $375 million settlement of the antitrust lawsuit against the UFC. Still, with the WWE's 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix, combined with ongoing negotiations for a new broadcast rights deal for the UFC, TKO is targeting revenues between $2.93 and $3 billion for 2025. As far as UFC's next broadcast rights deal, Shapiro said the exclusive negotiating period with ESPN began on Jan. 15 and runs for 90 days. 'When we look at the outlook for renewal, I'd remind you that the market for premium content — despite ESPN shedding MLB and F1 — is hot. It's quite strong. The content, our content in particular, TKO, is unique because not only do we own and control it, but it's year-round. There's no off-season. 'Our content both at UFC and WWE, for that matter, has urgency,' Shapiro continued. 'And the urgency allows us to attract subs and viewers, and also gives us a consistency to retain [subscribers] and viewers, reduce churn. Obviously, these are appealing attributes for buyers. The content, particularly with the streaming services, which is what it's all about these days, when it comes to our overall deal? One package, two packages, half packages, four packages, NASCAR-style – whatever it might be, we're focused on doing what's best for the business in the long term. So that means a balance between maximizing our reach and engagement and monetization.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
KSI, Eric Nicksick, Bubba Ray Dudley, Erik Magraken and more
Join Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back live on Uncrowned and YouTube at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT/6 p.m. UK time for Tuesday's loaded episode of "The Ariel Helwani Show," which can be seen below. 1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang kick off the show. 1:15 p.m. ET: Combat sports lawyer Erik Magraken unpacks the latest with the UFC anti-trust lawsuit and TKO's recent comments about boxing's Ali Act. 1:45 p.m. ET: Wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley joins the program. 2 p.m. ET: KSI stops by to preview his March 29 boxing match against Dillon Danis in Manchester. 3:05 p.m. ET: Eric Nicksick returns following Sean Strickland's unsuccessful weekend at UFC 312. Catch all new episodes of "The Ariel Helwani Show" live every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Uncrowned and The Ariel Helwani Show's YouTube page. To listen to every episode, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
