UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. It’s also among the fastest-growing sports, and the popularity of its fighters has also skyrocketed.
The most popular UFC players are Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, etc. It showcases some of the best internal fighters. These fighters use different martial art disciplines and styles.
It’s one of the major sports with pay-per-view events. Pay-per-view events bring the majority of revenue to the industry. It tends to be highly profitable for the big fights.
Often, however, fans decide to stream the fights rather than pay for them as UFC intends. So, let’s find out.
Can You Get In Trouble for Streaming UFC
Yes. Streaming a UFC event with authorization is against the United States copyright laws. However, today’s technology allows people to broadcast any event in real-time. It’s illegal to rebroadcast a UFC event online without purchasing or getting the rights.
Additional Information
There might be repercussions for illegally streaming UFC fights. The company has had battles against piracy for years, knowing it won’t win soon.
UFC president Dana White has issued several threats to discourage pirate stream users during events.
In addition, in 2020, Congress approved a law against illegal streaming. The law states that illegally streaming copyrighted products to a commercial audience is a felony.
Why Do Fans Stream UFC Illegally?
Like the fighters in the sport, UFC fans are quite a boisterous bunch. UFC is known to raise the pay-per-view event prices depending on matches.
Something that fans decry and opt to stream the event illegally. The pay-per-view is usually quite expensive – depending on the fight.
For example, Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight was selling at $100 to watch on pay-per-view. That’s too much – even though the fight was an entertaining affair.
Usually, fans pay such amounts, and fights don’t last long. Paying $100 and then the match being relatively short discourages many. Therefore most fans choose the bootleg route rather than partying away with their money.
During big matches, more than three million fans illegally stream UFC fights. They use popular platforms such as Twitch, Periscope, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Here they watch fights without spending a cent.
However, others illegally stream the fights due to issues with their PPV providers. It’s a problem that affects various cable companies in different parts of the US.
Pay-Per-View Piracy Is Illegal
It would be best if you didn’t commercially exhibit pay-per-view programs without proper commercial licensing rights. It’s because you’ll be violating federal laws, and that’s illegal.
You can only obtain the rights from Joe Hand Promotions and not cable or satellite providers.
Joe Hand Promotions is an American company. Today it’s the top TV distributor of pay-per-view UFC, boxing, and other events in America.
To air pay-per-view events in commercial spaces like sports bars, restaurants, etc., you must buy the license from Joe Hand Promotions. If not, you will receive fines of up to $110,000 and other additional charges.
Pay-per-view Piracy Methods
Residential only pay around $50 to $60 for pay-per-view events. Prices can go up to $100 depending on the event’s popularity.
However, public venues must pay the commercial licensing fee to air the event. The cost depends on the business size.
Some business owners disregard the license and choose to pirate the events. Here are some of the methods businesses commit piracies.
- Some owners misrepresent the business as a residence. They do these to pay less for the PPV events.
- Others decide to stream the program/event from the wireless receiver or cable. That’s from home to their business.
- Business owners can also illegally transmit an internet feed from laptops to their business TVs.
- Lastly, there’s the possibility of taking a residential receiver to the business.
Fighting Pay-Per-View Piracy
The company allocates huge resources to fighting pay-per-view piracy. The approach helps Joe Hand promotion to stay in business. Plus, it also offers protection to its authorized commercial customers.
It’s simply not fair for legitimate customers to compete with illegitimate customers. It’s because unauthorized businesses usually have a significant competitive advantage from not purchasing the license.
After distributing a pay-per-view event, the company hires independent investigators to ensure compliance.
Is JHP The Authorized UFC Distributor?
Yes, JHP partnered with UFC in 2001 as their exclusive commercial TV distributor. In 2015 the companies extended their agreement.
JHP does regular checks on businesses to identify ones doing piracy to protect their customers’ investments.
UFC piracy is so rampant, and Joe Hand Promotions know this. Both companies are working to stop the vice.
Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC)
It’s in Las Vegas and did start in 1993. Today it’s the biggest MMA promotion company globally. It sponsors some of the highest-level fighters from all over the world in the sport.
UFC produces events worldwide. The events have twelve weight divisions that include four women’s and eight men’s. Dana White has been UFC president since 2001, and to date, it has hosted more than 500 events.
Its Net worth
According to February reports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is worth around $5 billion. UFC’s major revenue source is television deals and pay-per-view events.
It has had multi-annual deals with ESPN (2018) and Fox (2011). The deals increased the company’s reach globally. The company has made most of its fortunes in the last years.
During these periods, the sport has become more popular worldwide. The big events have made it so popular, such as Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather’s fight.
Plus, the company has some big names, such as Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
UFC’s revenue has been approximately $500, $600, and $630 million for the last three years.
The Company’s Evolution
Art Davie, a popular businessman, had the idea of showcasing a real fighting event in the early 90s. Davie created an event known as the War of the world (WOW).
He partnered with screenwriter John Milius, Jiu-Jitsu, and other business people for promotion. In 1993, Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) became a partner.
The company’s name changed to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The company had several controversies because of the violence involved.
Therefore SEG had no choice but to offset it. In 2001, Dana white told his friend Lorenzo Fertitta about the UFC sale. Fertitta bought UFC for $2 million under a company known as Zuffa, LLC. Dana White was made the UFC’s president.
However, in 2016, Zuffa LLC was acquired by Endeavor, formerly known as William Morris Endeavor (WME-IMG). The deal was worth $4.2 billion.
Highest Paid All-Time UFC Fighters
UFC fighters earn more than an average American. However, the average fighter has to work extra hard for a modest living outside of top-tier fighters. Averagely, an average UFC fighter makes around $138 yearly.
It’s a good amount and more than a full-time American worker’s $45,000 yearly salary. There’s a huge imbalance in earnings among the UFC fighter.
The top 20 or best UFC fighters take home the most cash share in the UFC league or circuit. So how much do their best fighters make? Here is more information on the amount your favorite UFC knockout makes.
1. Conor McGregor
The Irishman is among the wealthiest athletes in the world. He’s the highest-paid UFC fighter.
Conor is a part-time ultimate championship fighter. He also appears in the MMA world.
He earns approximately $9.5 million for UFC. His most famous fight was against Floyd. He made $75 million from the fight.
2. Bisping
He has been in the UFC ring quite often. However, he’s relatively unknown to most average UFC fans. Michael Bisping made his money through fights and has appeared as a UFC fighter 29 times.
In all these fights, he has earned approximately $7.1 million. Michael was the 2016 welterweight champion but is now retired.
3. Anderson Silva
Anderson is a highly respected UFC fighter and champion. He is a highly decorated UFC champion and a frequent combatant.
Silva has made UFC appearances 24 times, earning approximately $7 million. In addition, he’s the first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
4. Georges St-Pierre
He is another UFC fighter that has retired from the sport. However, George St-Pierre has made several appearances as a UFC fighter – 24 times. All these matches have earned him approximately $7 million.
5. Mark Hunt
Hunt is among the top earners on the UFC circuit. His earnings are approximately $6.4 million.
Mark Hunt has a Samoan descent but is from New Zealand. His famous fight was against Dan Wight. The match was so entertaining and remained one of the best in UFC.
UFC Belt Worth
UFC champion’s belt is among the most recognizable hardware pieces in martial arts. Traditional UFC belt has gold-plated metal. Today the belt is upgraded and has precious stones that add up with title defenses.
A UFC champion’s belt worth is approximately $330,000. The belt’s value rises depending on the champion’s title defenses and who the champion is.
UFC adds precious stones on the belt for each defense. For example, Israel Adesanya’s UFC belt has more worth than Petr Yan’s UFC belt. UFC sells luxurious belt replicas at $1000.
Conclusion
UFC is the world’s most popular MMA promotion company. It is one of the brutal sports that makes or breaks tough athletes. UFC has many big names, such as Conor McGregor, who have earned it a lot of revenue.
Illegal streaming or piracy is rampant in UFC and affects their annual revenue. The company has put various measures in place to combat the issue.
