If you woke up tomorrow a UFC champion, what is the first thing you will do???

Tyson Fury on Dana White: "In Joshua's contract, apparently, it says that they can't...they couldn't, TKO and Dana, couldn't be involved. But, that was in mine, but I took it out. I took it out so he could be involved. Fuck'em. Yeah, I want him involved. Two baldies together. I like Dana. Good businessman and a good guy. A man who come from nothing to being a billionaire. And look what he done with the UFC. Unbelievable. I think he can do really well in boxing. Think he drives Eddie Hearn out, feeds him to the fishes."

Hearing some updates on MVP/PFL: There’s strong internal optimism that a new domestic TV deal will be in place for 2027, though it’s not expected to be transformative. The bigger issue remains capital. Additional funding will likely be needed to properly position the business for 2027 and beyond. Promoting events at a global scale is extremely capital intensive, particularly with several fighters now earning seven-figure purses.

“ZUFFA COMING INTO BOXING WAS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE.” 🥊 Nico Ali Walsh says Zuffa’s arrival forced the boxing world to do something it rarely does — COME TOGETHER. “They’re all uniting to fight Zuffa.” What do you guys think? Good or bad? Want to hear your view points

Ari Emmanuel on Buying the UFC and how Jon Jones' positive drug test at UFC 200 nearly torpedoed the entire deal- Roll the Calls, Ch. 49: Buying UFC The setup. In January 2016, Ari hears through deep-background channels that Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta are thinking about selling UFC. Once the rumor gets out, everyone lines up: VC and PE firms, several billionaires, and CBS. Ari had met the Fertittas once before, and their price was far beyond Endeavor's reach. This time they seem more serious. They've already had a formal meeting with a well-known PE firm that went well, so Ari knows he's on the clock. He calls Lorenzo and pushes him not to sell to anyone without giving Endeavor a shot. Lorenzo won't commit either way. Ari asks for his dream price. Lorenzo is noncommittal, but says it starts with a four. Why Endeavor wanted it. Ari brings it to Egon Durban at Silver Lake, who calls it a possible coup de grâce. Sports rights are where media is headed, and UFC would pair naturally with IMG, which had put Endeavor on the global map. For Ari there's also a personal angle: he was raised to see life as a fight, so owning the biggest fight league is the most on-brand deal he could do. He compares it to Michael Phelps buying a pool. The first months of 2016 are spent on legal pads, whiteboards and modeling. Ari also clears his decks. He stops talking to the press (including cutting off Nikki Finke), avoids public feuds, and installs Mark Shapiro as president of IMG, with Patrick Whitesell's reluctant agreement. Shapiro becomes his main partner on the deal. The bidding war. By late spring the pressure builds. Reports put rival bids at $2.4B and $3B. Dana White goes on TV and says UFC isn't for sale, which Ari reads as a sign the Fertittas are having second thoughts. It's an emotional, once-in-a-lifetime decision for them, and it lands at the same time as UFC 200, the biggest event in company history. Ari and Egon put together an investor consortium to reach $4B, the only number he thinks beats Chinese buyers and other large bidders. He describes managing it as an exhausting exercise in handling egos. Every investor is anxious, banks and pipelines are backed up, and someone always needs calming down. The ten days before bids are due are the most intense of his life. He's on the phone nonstop, jumping between deals and topics. In one scene he's driving with Pete, who has to have him pull over because watching Ari work makes him physically sick. Jon Jones. Endeavor wins the auction. Then, days before UFC 200, Jon Jones, UFC's biggest star and youngest-ever champion, fails a drug test and is pulled from the card. On paper that lowers UFC's value: lower viewership and revenue, plus a year-long suspension. A vocal part of Endeavor's buy team wants to use it to cut the price at the last minute. Ari thinks that would be fatal. He reads the Fertittas as already uneasy and looking for any reason to walk, and a re-trade tied to a drug test would give them one. Shapiro has his own worries about overpaying too. Ari keeps going back to Egon, who reminds him of the IMG deal. When that price climbed past $2B, Egon told him nobody would remember the extra $400M a year later, only the value of owning the asset. Ari repeats the same argument to the buy team: in a year no one will care about Jones or a discount, but they'll remember killing the deal. He admits he can't order them to comply because he's the leader but not the boss. In the final prep meeting he tells them flatly that if anyone mentions Jones, the deal dies. The signing. The closing happens in a big Century City law-firm conference room. There are about thirty people at the table (twenty on the Fertittas' side, ten on Endeavor's), a scribe drafting in real time, lawyers dialing in from around the world, and no windows. Ari watches the Fertittas and sees first fear, then disappointment, because no one says Jones's name. That was their last way out, and nobody gives it to them. Once a $4.2B deal has momentum, Ari writes, it's unstoppable. The end is anticlimactic. There's no single decisive moment; it's just done. UFC belonged to the Fertittas, and now it belongs to Endeavor. Aftermath. Handshakes, hugs and nervous laughter follow. Ari steps out to be alone and wonders who he can call who would truly understand. He thinks of Patrick, then realizes Patrick had no role in the deal. He calls it a strange realization and "the first loose thread," hinting at the later falling-out between them.

Who pushed John Martin out at PFL? Look at the board. In January the cap table got reset in what looks like a cram down: founder Donn Davis out as chair, SURJ (Saudi) and Waverly Capital out. Who's left in control: distressed specialist Knighthead and Dubai-based 885 Capital. In January, PFL's cap table was reset. Knighthead Capital and 885 Capital put in new money to retire debt, took "lead ownership," and installed a new board. Terms were never disclosed, but it has all the hallmarks of a cram down: a financing priced so low that anyone who doesn't put in new money gets wiped out. In other words, their shares are worthless. Who got cleared out: - Founder Donn Davis, out as chair - SURJ (Saudi PIF) - Waverly Capital, the VC firm tied to Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr. (Waverly Managing Partner Daniel Leff left the board) - Interestingly, it was Waverly (Leff & Bronfman) who assisted Donn Davis in identifying and recruiting John Martin into the role of CEO at PFL. Who's left holding control: - Knighthead (Ara Cohen), a special situations and distressed investor that also owns Birmingham City - 885 Capital, Dubai-based (Sudeep Ramnani and Jai Mahtani). Then the MVP merger closed July 30. Less than two months later, Martin is gone. If you want to know who decided that, look at who controls the board.

Ok, I’m making this public and clear: I have 1 fight left. On my contract The purse is set for 3 rounds, not 5. I’m asking for the 3-round fight that was already agreed on contract . It can be anyone on the UFC LHW roaster. I think Hunter has 3 options now: A) Give me that last 3-round fight (I’ll take any opponent). B) Give me a 5-round fight at LHW against anyone in 6 weeks. I’ll take it, BUT raise my purse accordingly. That’s the minimum that’s fair, right? C) Release me from my contract now. Simple and clean. I hope everyone understands. 9-18-26 Las Vegas, Nevada Sincerely, Paulo Costa.

IF they allowed UBOs when PBC had major funding it would have been game over. Oddly enough, all the guys who warned that’s what PBC wanted are now working for the Saudis/TKO/Paramount. Funny, no free speech for them now.

Nico & DLH were the only two who testified in the Senate because those were the ones chosen for the 2 spots to oppose the bill not because no one else was willing to testify. Nico specifically because of who his grandfather was, & luckily ended up being good at public speaking.

.@DanCanobbio believes Zuffa Boxing has been forced to pivot from its original vision, leaving little to distinguish it from other promotions: “I think they had to pivot. I don’t think they wanted to pivot. Dana White came in and said, ‘We’re going to change everything with boxing... We’re going to change the game.’ But they came in and saw how difficult that is. They still have those aspirations to take over the sport and do it their way, which is the UFC way... But for now they had to pivot. They’re just the newest, coolest promotion now. They’re not doing anything different. What you saw on Saturday night wasn’t anything different than a PBC show or a Matchroom show.” Episode 3 of The Uncrowned Beat is available now on @amazonfiretv.

Today, we will mark up the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which now has stronger protections for fighters thanks to our work with Nico Ali Walsh. Nico cares deeply about protecting fighters and the future of boxing. Originally opposed to the bill, he came before the Committee and raised concerns about boxer safety. At that hearing, I made clear that I wanted stakeholders who had concerns to work with me to strengthen the legislation. Nico answered that call. He took time away from his own career to work directly with our offices and push for stronger protections for fighters. His input helped shape meaningful improvements to the bill, and the final product is stronger because of his involvement. I’m grateful for the work Nico put into this and for his commitment to making sure this legislation works for the fighters whose careers and livelihoods are on the line. Sen. Rosen and I are proud to have the support of a fighter who has advocated fiercely for his peers and worked to make sure legislation bearing his grandfather’s name is worthy of that legacy.

Today, we will mark up the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which now has stronger protections for fighters thanks to our work with Nico Ali Walsh. Nico cares deeply about protecting fighters and the future of boxing. Originally opposed to the bill, he came before the Committee and raised concerns about boxer safety. At that hearing, I made clear that I wanted stakeholders who had concerns to work with me to strengthen the legislation. Nico answered that call. He took time away from his own career to work directly with our offices and push for stronger protections for fighters. His input helped shape meaningful improvements to the bill, and the final product is stronger because of his involvement. I’m grateful for the work Nico put into this and for his commitment to making sure this legislation works for the fighters whose careers and livelihoods are on the line. Sen. Rosen and I are proud to have the support of a fighter who has advocated fiercely for his peers and worked to make sure legislation bearing his grandfather’s name is worthy of that legacy.

Great news – our bipartisan bill to revitalize the American boxing industry and protect fighters has advanced out of committee! We've been working for months to get this much-needed bill across the finish line, particularly by working with Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Nico Ali Walsh. I’m incredibly grateful for his tireless work to honor his grandfather's legacy and improve this legislation. The changes he advocated for to protect his fellow fighters were central to the drafting process, and I’m glad that the bill we passed in committee today earned his endorsement! This bipartisan legislation will help revitalize American boxing while also providing meaningful health, safety, and economic support for American boxers. @SenTedCruz and I will continue working to ensure our bill becomes law.

Did any of the other members of the Ali Act Preservation Alliance come in support for this bill?

I don't see how this isn't a win for the fighters. We literally witnessed a Zuffa fighter fight for the WBC title this past Saturday and people are still complaining. #boxing

Today, we will mark up the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which now has stronger protections for fighters thanks to our work with Nico Ali Walsh. Nico cares deeply about protecting fighters and the future of boxing. Originally opposed to the bill, he came before the Committee and raised concerns about boxer safety. At that hearing, I made clear that I wanted stakeholders who had concerns to work with me to strengthen the legislation. Nico answered that call. He took time away from his own career to work directly with our offices and push for stronger protections for fighters. His input helped shape meaningful improvements to the bill, and the final product is stronger because of his involvement. I’m grateful for the work Nico put into this and for his commitment to making sure this legislation works for the fighters whose careers and livelihoods are on the line. Sen. Rosen and I are proud to have the support of a fighter who has advocated fiercely for his peers and worked to make sure legislation bearing his grandfather’s name is worthy of that legacy.

Final thoughts on the Ali Act. Financial disclosure was my issue, if the UBO discloses PER EVENT, then fair negotiation can take place. Disclosure for a fiscal year, from a Form 10 Q or K report on a corporation with multiple entertainment assets doesn’t provide an accurate picture per event and can be used to confuse fighters and managers. Boxing is a per event sport, there’s no season, teams, or leagues no matter what the billboard says. Lose, and a contract is legally terminated. You don’t get cut at the end of the season, you’re done that day. Negotiations should be per event in conjunction with existing contract structure, especially for the high earners. The Supreme Court dissolved the IBC (International Boxing Club) in 1959 for almost exactly what Zuffa is doing. I think eventually the UBO issue will go there. I don’t think anyone intends to be corrupt, but when control is centralized (in boxings case rankings, titles, and promotion) corruption is inevitable. In any industry. Ultimately time will answer all questions. Boxing is now split to two factions, Zuffa or DAZN. With one having a large checkbook today, and a roster of mostly mid to low level fighters; and the other having a real league with all the major promoters serving as teams that unify titles and promote together to develop undisputed champions.

Our position the entire time was that we would oppose any bill that allowed promoter controlled ranks and exclusive contracts. “Any promoter operating as a UBO under this section is prohibited from using exclusive contracts.” This bill will result in fighter exploitation.