TKO Reveals Final Losses For UFC Freedom 250 Event At White House

TKO has revealed specifically how much money they lost on UFC Freedom 250, which took place in June at the White House. As previously noted, the event went down on June 14th on the White House lawn and was headlined by Justin Gaethje defeating Ilia Topuria for the UFC Lightweight Title.

TKO’s Mark Shapiro had said in February that they expected to lose money on the event. According to BBC News, that expectation bore out as TKO CFO Andrew Schleimer told investors that they had lost around $30 million running the event.

“Given the event’s profile, which as anticipated, resulted in an approximate $30m loss, our margins at UFC as well as on a consolidated basis were meaningfully impacted,” Schleimer said.

Shapiro had previously said that the event was a “long-term investment,” stating:

“We will not profit from the White House event independently. We will not be making money on America’s 250th Anniversary. This is an investment for the long term. This is about earned media, sampling new fans and casual viewers, a spectacle on a stage that will ultimately expand our audience, our viewership, and our success on Paramount+.”

The event was marred by several controversies, including fighter Josh Hokit calling former First Lady Michelle Obama “a man” after his fight. The event drew 34 million viewers worldwide.