The UFC has been Endeavor’s main source of growth as of late, and they’ve touted its cash cow and the recent financial records the MMA leader have set lately. With their lucrative sports property constantly bringing in big money, a fair criticism the company has received is about the share its fighters get in return.
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel tried to address this issue during a recent Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference. He says athlete compensation has gone up “600% since 2005,” and then gave Conor McGregor topping the Forbes highest paid athlete list as a way to defend low fighter pay.