UFC's parent company CEO Ari Emanuel takes home whopping multi-million dollar salary for 2022

Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the firm that owns the UFC, earned slightly over $19 million in salary and bonuses in 2022, down from a jaw-dropping $308 million compensation in 2021, when Endeavor went public for the first time.

The salaries of Endeavor Group Holdings' executives were made public as part of the company's annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to a report by MMA Fighting, Emanuel earned a base salary of $4 million in 2022 in addition to $8.2 million in bonuses, $6 million in non-equity incentives, and $868,011 in other compensations.

The staggering figure was due to a one-time stock grant connected to the company's first public offering in 2021.

On the other hand, Financial Director Jason Lublin received $18.5 million in 2022, while President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro made $18.7 million and Executive Chairman Patrick Whitesell earned $12.1 million. Similar to Emanuel in 2021, Whitesell made a stunning $123.1 million the year after the company went public for the first time.

In a year-end report to investors, Endeavor also highlighted the UFC's influence on the company's sports property division and the segment's record revenues. In 2022, Endeavor reported a total of $1.3 billion in income from its sports businesses, an increase of $224.1 million from the previous year. With "the best sponsorship year ever," the UFC announced that it sold out 21 events in 2022.

Since Endeavor recently purchased World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a rebranding of the UFC and its affiliated brands is imminent. A stock offering for the new business, which has yet to be given a name, is likely to take place later this year.

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UFC president Dana White thinks that Ari Emanuel and Endevor can take WWE to new heights

In conjunction with the sale of WWE to the Endeavor Group, the global leader in entertainment and sports will merge the UFC with WWE to form a $21 billion publicly traded corporation.

According to UFC president Dana White, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel is a solid partner for WWE. White stated that Emanuel has granted the global leader in MMA complete autonomy to conduct business as they see fit.

In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, White discussed WWE's sale to Endeavor and revealed how the organization can benefit from it:

"We always knew there was room for growth, and what we wanted to do, just like Bob Meyrowitz, who sold it to us, Bob Meyrowitz felt like we were guys who could take it to another level. The same thing happened when we sold to Ari."

White added:

"You wanted to sell it to a guy who could help grow the business and take it to another level. That’s exactly what Vince has done, too. When you look at all the suitors out there and all the people out there that possibly want to buy your business, you want to sell it to the group that you think can take it to another level.”

Catch Dana White's comments below (2:19:00):