When a group of investors led by WME-IMG purchased the UFC for $4 billion in July, widespread changes were anticipated.
We’re now beginning to see the fallout as the UFC is in the process of significant layoffs across the globe.
MMAFighting reported Tuesday afternoon that between 60 and 80 of the approximately 350 UFC employees were expected to be laid off. Then, later that evening, MMAJunkie reported high-ranking UFC officials Garry Cook (the UFC’s chief global branding officer and head of international business development), Marshall Zelaznik (UFC’s chief content officer), Ken Berger (head of operations in Asia), and Jaime Pollack (head of operations in Latin America) were among those who lost their jobs.
The layoffs didn’t stop there.
Sportsnet has learned only two staff members from the UFC’s Canadian office, which is based in Toronto, survived the cuts. Among those let go Wednesday was Tom Wright, the UFC’s director of operations for Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Wright was hired as the UFC’s director of operations for Canada back in 2010. The former CFL commissioner worked tirelessly to ensure fans across the country had the opportunity to see live mixed martial arts in their communities. Wright worked with national and provincial governments to educate the masses on MMA in an attempt to get the often-misunderstood sport sanctioned everywhere in the country.
His biggest accomplishment during his time with the UFC was helping get Bill S-209 passed, helping make MMA legal across Canada. Bill S-209 was an amendment to Section 83(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada — a section that had not been updated since 1934 — regarding the regulation of prize fighting. The amendment clarified the propriety of promoting MMA throughout Canada since previously that section of the Criminal Code only listed boxing under the prize fighting category.
Sportsnet sat down with Wright Tuesday, prior to the news of the UFC’s downsizing, and asked him about new UFC ownership, the possibility of layoffs and the overall winds of change.
“Well, it’s early days yet. None of their restructuring plans have been announced so we’re taking sort of a wait-and-see attitude towards it,” Wright told Sportsnet. “We’ve got a job to do and I’ve got a great team to work with here in Canada, some of the best people I’ve ever worked with in my entire career.”
There is also expected to be roster cuts in the coming weeks and months with many fighters likely to have their contracts terminated. The UFC has approximately 650 fighters on its current roster.
The structure of the UFC looks vastly different than it did earlier this year. In addition to all the names mentioned above, longtime UFC matchmaker Joe Silva announced in August he would be stepping down from his role at the end of the year and the UFC’s senior VP of public relations Dave Sholler recently took a position with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
