TKO’s Mark Shapiro: UFC ‘will not profit from [White House] event no matter what’

We still don’t have many details about the upcoming UFC event at the White House, but TKO President & COO Mark Shapiro wants to make it clear that the company does not stand to profit from it.

Shapiro spoke at Morgan Stanley’s technology, media, and telecom conference on Monday morning and touched on the event planned for the South Lawn of the White House in June to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

UFC CEO Dana White previously pledged that his organization would cover the cost of the entire event, and Shapiro previously admitted that they expect the price tag to be over $60 million while generating around $30 million in sponsorship revenue. 

However, according to Shapiro, that’s a small price to pay for the benefits the UFC will gain from the event.

“Whatever we lose — [a projected] $3o million at this point — on the event, are we really losing? Other properties would kill to have the opportunity we’re going to have,” Shapiro said, via SBJ. “This is going to be enormous in terms of attention, in terms of earned media, in terms of our fans being happy. … We are going to fully capitalize on the stage that is the White House, but we’re not going to capitalize on America; we will not profit from this event no matter what.”

The event, which is expected to be simulcast on CBS and Paramount+, still doesn’t have a fight card. TKO CEO Ari Emanuel said in February that the event would feature six or seven fights.

Several UFC fighters have made it clear they don’t want to be associated with the event or President Donald Trump, who stands to involve himself in yet another major sporting event in which a potential unifying moment could become one of political division.