UFC owner's 2023 salary revealed, truth behind Ryan Garcia's pre-fight antics, Ronda Rousey's rift with Joe Rogan: MMA News Roundup
A new financial disclosure has shed light on the annual salary earned by UFC owner Ari Emanuel. Elsewhere, Ryan Garcia revealed the truth behind his pre-fight hysterics on social media.
Catch up with the latest combat sports updates with Sportskeeda MMA's MMA News Roundup.
Ari Emanuel's salary revealed in latest SEC filing
The $21 billion deal that saw the amalgamation of UFC and WWE as well as the creation of TKO Group Holdings brought in significant compensation upgrades for the top executives of Endeavor. Some of their annual earnings were revealed in a financial filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ahead of the stockholders meeting in June.
According to a report by MMA Fighting, Ari Emanuel, the CEO of TKO and Endeavor, raked in $65 million in 2023. His salary was a whopping $911,538, adjusted to the merger, on top of which he earned a $24 million bonus and $40 million in stock awards.
TKO President and COO, Mark Shapiro, received $16 million, which included a $9 million bonus and $6 million in stock rewards.
Read about more financial disclosures here.
Ryan Garcia reveals the truth behind pre-fight antics
For weeks before the fight with Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia's erratic online behavior made many fans worry about the state of his mental health. He seemed to be on the precipice of a mental breakdown. The comments about dating multiple women did not help the cause.
During a recent appearance on the PBD Podcast, Garcia revealed that it was all part of the promotion and not at all real:
"We had it pre-recorded months ago. What did I say was going to happen? I'm going to make sure everybody thinks I'm going crazy."
However, not all that Garcia said was baseless, he claimed. His comments about the 'Bohemian Grove' and child sex trafficking were true. He said he was in touch with people on the "front lines", including an advocate, and that he plans to take action soon.
"I actually do have videos... We're going to go to Congress with it... There's also other people that have videos... I'm just not going to put that on the internet, that's disgusting."
Catch Ryan Garcia's comments below (0:10):
Ronda Rousey details rift with Joe Rogan and UFC media
Ronda Rousey's relationship with the UFC media towards the end of her MMA career had grown quite tumultuous, she recently revealed on The Chris Cuomo Project.
She claimed that UFC commentator Joe Rogan and some of the others had "turned on" her during her tough time. She felt alienated and was forced to accept that the good relationship she shared with them was not true.
"It was disappointing to see how happily everyone turned on me. People like Joe Rogan who were crying in the ring out of the honor to call my fights, people I considered friends in the media, so quickly turned on me... This isn’t real love, this is fake. They don't actually know me... MMA media hates me but it's fine."
Watch Ronda Rousey's comments below (30:30):