Jon Jones’ advisor to be in charge of women's MMA promotion Invicta Fighting Championships
Combat sports executive Richard Schaefer, who also serves as a business advisor to Jon Jones, has been named the President of Anthem Sports and Entertainment's sports properties. The Swiss boxing promoter has previously served as the CEO of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and has over two decades of experience navigating the world of combat sports.
The renowned multi-platform company recently announced the news and added that Schaefer would preside over its sports divisions, which will be reorganized under the umbrella of Anthem Sports Group Inc. (ASG). He will oversee ASG's all-woman MMA organization Invicta Fighting Championships, Impact Wrestling promotion, and Fight Network.
Combat sports exec Richard Schaefer has been named the president of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, per a release. Anthem owns Invicta FC, Impact Wrestling and AXS TV. Schaefer used to be Golden Boy CEO and is Jon Jones' business adviser.
Schaefer's immense experience will certainly benefit the trailblazing Invicta FC, started by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp in 2012 as a result of several female fighters expressing their concerns about a lack of female representation in MMA after the UFC's parent company, Zuffa, bought out MMA promotion Strikeforce.
The largest all-women's MMA promotion gave several future UFC stars a platform before Dana White's organization introduced its women's division. Carla Esparza, Cris Cyborg, Jennifer Maia, Lauren Murphy, and Angela Hill are some who've held gold in Invicta FC before joining the UFC.
Richard Schaefer confident about making Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou happen
Richard Schaefer hasn't given up on making Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou happen.
Before Ngannou surprisingly quit the UFC, the Cameroonian was expected to welcome Jones back to the octagon to make his heavyweight debut. However, fans were left disappointed after failed contract talks resulted in Ngannou's removal from the UFC roster.
Dana White later dashed any remnants of hope about a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou bout materializing after claiming 'The Predator' will never compete in the UFC again.
Dana White closes the door on Francis Ngannou forever 👋
#UFC285 | Full story: bit.ly/3EYtIjo https://t.co/3fGFFdnBZd
Meanwhile, Jon Jones went on to become the heavyweight champion by defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in dominant fashion. This led to many wondering how a bout between Jones and Ngannou would've gone, especially with the two heavyweights trash-talking each other.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Schaefer claimed he would be open to helping facilitate a fight between the two heavyweights:
"If it makes sense for UFC from a financial point of view, I think they’ll be open to do that fight...This is now something which I can help, because I do have a nice relationship with people with Francis. If I could help to smooth the way and try to get that fight done... I’ll be happy to do that... I do believe that that fight would break pay-per-view records.”