RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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UFC owners lost $30m (£22m) staging the Freedom 250 event, which was attended by US President Donald Trump, at the White House in June.
Despite the one-off event's losses, which UFC expected, the organisation still saw an increase of revenue for the second quarter of 2026, parent company TKO Group Holdings said on Monday.
An estimated 4,300 people including president Trump and Vice-President JD Vance were present for the invite-only event on the South Lawn of the presidential compound, which formed part of celebrations to mark 250 years of American independence.
Tickets were not sold to the general public for the event, and initial costs were predicted to be more than $60m (£44m).
However, UFC was able to recoup some money through sponsorships, media exposure and other partnerships.
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Trump has a long-standing friendship with UFC president Dana White and the event coincided with his 80th birthday.
Andrew Schleimer, chief financial officer of TKO Group, told investors on Monday they incurred significantly higher than normal costs for Freedom 250, which they "partially offset with sold-out global partnerships inventory."
He added: "Given the event's profile, which as anticipated, resulted in an approximate $30m loss, our margins at UFC as well as on a consolidated basis were meaningfully impacted."
Last year, TKO Group signed a $7.7bn (£5.7bn), seven-year contract with Paramount for the US channel to become the new home of UFC starting in 2026, with the White House event shown exclusively on its subscription streaming platform Paramount+.
The event attracted an average of 34 million viewers worldwide, making it one of the most watched mixed martial arts events of all time.
TKO reported UFC's revenue increased 29% year over year to $535.7m (£398.7m) for the second quarter of this year.
This includes a $64.7m (£48.2m) increase in media rights driven by the TV deal with Paramount.
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