UFC's White House event lost $30m, TKO confirms

UFC Freedom 250, held at the White House in June, generated wide buzz but left a significant hole in the books, it has emerged.

Andrew Schleimer, chief financial officer of TKO Group Holdings, UFC's parent company, told investors Monday that staging the event cost roughly $60 million and ultimately produced a $30 million loss.

UFC Freedom 250 took place on June 14, the day after President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. No tickets were sold to the general public; attendance was limited to roughly 4,300 guests, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Speaking on TKO's second-quarter earnings conference call, Schleimer said the event produced "approximately $30 million in losses, as expected, which had a meaningful impact on UFC and consolidated profitability."

"Costs were significantly higher than a typical event, though we were able to offset some of that through the full sell-through of global partnership advertising and sponsorship inventory," he added. "However, because no tickets were sold, we generated zero live-event revenue."

TKO chairman and CEO Ari Emanuel framed the financial loss as a success nonetheless.

"In the second quarter, TKO demonstrated our ability to deliver one-of-a-kind live events and unique experiences, and nothing exemplified that more than UFC Freedom 250 in June," Emanuel said. "It was a remarkable success for our company, the UFC brand and the sport of MMA — delivering strong results in terms of exposure, media impact, new fan acquisition and fan experiences throughout the weekend."

Despite that upbeat assessment, a return bout at the White House appears unlikely anytime soon. UFC President Dana White shrugged off the prospect of a repeat event shortly after the fight, citing the costs involved.

Meanwhile, TKO Group Holdings paid a dividend of $150 million in the second quarter — its second consecutive quarterly dividend. The company's first-quarter sales reached approximately $1.6 billion, up about 26 percent from a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA rose more than 30 percent.