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The return of live crowds along with continued success on pay-per-view has helped the UFC to the most successful first half of the year in company history.
That’s according to the latest earnings report from the UFC’s owners at Endeavor after they revealed new financial information for the second quarter of 2021.
Based on the release from Endeavor, the second quarter included “three sold-out, arena record pay-per-view events,” which resulted in the “biggest first half in UFC history.”
After Endeavor went public earlier this year, the UFC has remained the largest revenue driver for the talent agency turned sports and entertainment conglomerate.
During a call to speak about the second quarter earnings report, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel doubled down on his praise for the UFC while touting the biggest six months in the 26-year history of the promotion during the first half of 2021.
Those numbers would have gone even higher after Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 reportedly sold 1.6 million pay-per-views worldwide but the card took place without a significant live audience due to the global pandemic. The third fight between McGregor and Poirier in July reportedly sold even more pay-per-views with 1.8 million buys globally along with over a $15 million gate, which will go towards the third quarter results for Endeavor.
Overall revenue for Endeavor increased to $1.1 billion in the second quarter, which is up from $650 million from the same time last year. The company still reported a net loss of $319.6 million with $869.8 million in cash on hand at the end of the quarter.
