Mark Shapiro disputes claim of UFC product failing: 'We don't buy it'
TKO executive Mark Shapiro says business is booming in the UFC, driven by cards that are still high quality.
TKO executive Mark Shapiro says business is booming in the UFC. The UFC has moved away from the pay-per-view model and is now under a subscription-only basis with Paramount+ in the U. S.
, Latin America, and Australia. That has many feeling that the promotion is no longer invested in the quality of their events, specifically the ones held at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, which have become more numerous. But Shapiro expressed disagreement after he was specifically asked about the notion of weaker UFC cards lately on a conference call.
"Look, bottom line is we don't buy it," Shapiro said ( h/t Jed I. Goodman ). "Let's just start with this premise, right?
The product is great at the UFC, the brand has never been stronger, our reach has never been greater, so the foundational elements of UFC are in concrete. Anyone that came to our last numbered fight in Miami, which was UFC 327, was flat-out blown away. Or anyone that went to our last fight night, which happened to be last weekend in Perth, Australia, a sellout, or even watched it, witnessed an extraordinary sport.