UFC to cut 15% of staff three months after $4bn sale

Three months after changing hands for $4bn, UFC is making staff redundant.

A UFC official said the layoffs represented “under 15%” of the workforce. A source confirmed that staff had already been laid off, and that between 60 and 80 workers were likely to be fired. About 400 people worldwide are employed by UFC.

In July, entertainment giant WME-IMG bought UFC from Zuffa LCC for about $4bn. Zuffa was majority owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who took over in 2001 and made UFC a multi-billion dollar business.

According to MMAFighting.com, morale at the UFC’s Las Vegas office is “very bad,” in part because rumors of the cuts have been swirling for a while. One source said the office was like a “morgue”.

Layoffs will come in multiple departments, including sponsorships, licensing, public relations and production. There are no immediate plans to reduce the UFC’s event schedule. High-ranking executives have also been relieved of their duties, although the UFC declined to confirm specifics. MMA Junkie reported that they included the former Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook.

In early September, UFC’s top kingmaker Joe Silva left the organization. Silva’s ability to assess fighters and pair them in intriguing match-ups had been a big part of the UFC’s success.

The UFC is based in Las Vegas, and has offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Sao Paulo and Singapore. The sources said WME-IMG has no plans to close any international offices.