UFC Executive Joe Carr Leaving Company to Join World Surf League

UFC executive Joe Carr is leaving the company and joining the World Surf League. It was announced on Tuesday that Carr, the senior vice president and head of international and content for the company, is deparing and will become the chief strategy officer and head of international for the surfing organization.

“The decision to leave colleagues and the (UFC) after more than 5 years was one of the toughest of my life,” Carr said in a statement. “As much as I enjoyed the sport and the events, it was really the personal relationship with my teams around the world that I valued the most. I was fortunate enough to receive an incredible offer to join another fast-growing sports organization in the WSL and move back to L.A. – I see a ton of parallels between both companies and am leaving for the same set of challenges that attracted me to UFC.”

Carr began his work for the UFC as senior director of investment and strategy. Carr helped lead the company’s sale to WME-IMG last year.

“I want to thank Lorenzo (Fertitta), Dana (White) and Lawrence (Epstein) for taking a chance on me years ago, and I will be forever grateful for what they did for this organization,” Carr’s statement added. “I also need to thank Ari (Emanuel) and the WME-IMG ownership group for sticking with me through the acquisition, and I am excited for the UFC’s bright future in the years to come. With the biggest fight in history on the horizon, the company’s first event in mainland China, and countless opportunities globally, the business has great momentum heading into 2018.”