What may be the most important news story so far this year regarding the UFC's long-term economics was a major media story that on the surface appeared to have absolutely nothing to do with the promotion.
The story is the extensive layoffs at ESPN, shining a light hard on the economic condition of the station that for years seemed to be almost printing money.
Ever since WME-IMG paid nearly $4 billion for UFC ownership, with much of that money borrowed, the company started making its own substantial cuts. The most publicized ones were the dumping of several well-known executives, many of which played a substantial role in getting the company to a level where a slew of bidders were willing to pay $3 billion and at least a couple were willing to go to $4 billion or higher.