Midnight Roundup! UFC outranks WWE, Paige VanZant's fight leak, and more
UFC outranked WWE, Matchroom, PFL, and a bunch of other combat sports organizations in recent statistics. Elsewhere, Ilia Topuria sent a warning to Max Holloway about the featherweight title fight.
Here are the biggest and best combat sports updates, brought to you by Sportskeeda MMA.
UFC ranks No. 1 on Forbes' 2024 list
A recent report by Forbes listed UFC as the most valuable combat sports promotion in 2024, with a net worth of $11.3 billion. It is almost twice that of the second-best promotion, WWE, valued at $6.8 billion.
According to the report, the Dana White-led juggernaut amassed $1.29 billion in 2023. While this number is less than what WWE made last year - $1.33 billion - UFC still outranked Vince McMahon's brainchild and all other prominent promotions, including AEW, Matchroom, PFL, ONE Championship, and others.
AEW was placed third, with a net worth of $2 billion and 2023 revenue of $250 million.
Here's the full list tweeted by Parry Punch
Paige VanZant vs. Elle Brooke gets leaked
DAZN's plans for the Misfits 15 main event were leaked during Thursday's Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia press conference. The telecast showed Elle Brooke vs. Paige VanZant set on May 25 in the "Coming Up" banner running at the bottom of the screen.
It was removed soon afterward, but eagle-eyed fans and media outlets were quick to get screengrabs.
Elle Brooke expressed disappointment at the matter on X:
"Feel(s) like everyone just found out I was pregnant before I did."
"Just to clarify, I am not pregnant. Just referring to incompetent people leaking sh*t early."
How Alex Pereira hid his broken toe from Nina-Marie Daniele
Alex Pereira had broken his toe two weeks before UFC 300 but kept it a secret from everyone except his team. In the days before the event, he filmed a sparring session as part of Nina-Marie Daniele's fight week vlogs, in which he taught her how to throw his signature left hook.
Daniele has now revealed on X that Pereira wore a pair of socks to hide his broken toe during the filming. She admitted that she pulled his leg about it, as she had assumed he covered his toe to avoid getting foot fungus.
She said:
"I remember I was joking about him wearing socks while training and little did I know he was hiding his toe. I thought he just didn't want to risk foot fungus."
Ilia Topuria issues warning to Max Holloway
Ilia Topuria sent a bold warning to Max Holloway on X as they continue their post-UFC 300 banter about the featherweight title shot. He reminded Holloway that he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, 'the guy that beat him thrice', and that he plans on finishing 'Blessed' by KO or submission.
He added that if Holloway does not agree to his terms of date and location, he would give the title shot to Brian Ortega instead.
"You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for money but for legacy."
"God doesn’t shame anyone. You will have a worthy defeat against a champion who will be remembered for eternity. I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige."
Islam Makhachev hyped about new golden UFC gloves
Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, the duo to headline UFC 302 in two months, will be among the first to wear the new gold championship gloves expected to debut at the pay-per-view event on June 1.
Makhachev reacted to the news with a three-word comment under an Instagram post by ESPN MMA.
He said:
"This is history"
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