These days, when detractors doubt the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) status as a global growth juggernaut, longtime UFC boss Dana White points to June 21, the date of the UFC’s first-ever fight card, or match lineup, in Azerbaijan.
“We're going to go to Baku this year,” says White. “So when people think that I'm full of sh-t when I say we're going everywhere, well, there you go.”The numbers also illustrate the UFC’s momentum: five of its ten highest-grossing events took place in 2024—a record-breaking year as revenue topped $1.4 billion—including the September 14 card at the Las Vegas Sphere, which grossed $22 million, a new all-time high for the company. Donald Trump has attended three events since being reelected president in November. The close friendship between Trump and White, and the added visibility it provides UFC, “definitely doesn’t suck,” says White. “I don't care what color you are, what country you come from, what language you speak, fighting is in our DNA,” he says. “We get it and we like it.”
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