Kathrine Frich
Company president Dana White previously guessed the broadcast would pull in an audience to rival the Super Bowl.
Throwing a massive birthday party on a global stage usually guarantees a spectacle.
People expect fireworks, special guests, and plenty of entertainment when the venue is world-famous.
But hosting a massive sporting event right in your backyard can leave the organizers with a brutal financial hangover.
A pricey summer party
President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this summer by bringing mixed martial arts to the White House.
The historic South Lawn transformed into a fighting arena for the controversial UFC Freedom 250 showcase.
Organizers put together a heavily patriotic presentation for the fans. Competing fighters even began their dramatic walkouts from inside the historic building itself.
However, the massive spectacle came with an equally massive price tag. The sporting company reportedly lost millions of dollars putting the broadcast together, according to HuffPost.
Breaking down the numbers
At first glance, the production looked like an absolute financial sinkhole. Initial cost estimates hovered around the 60 million dollar mark.
Brand sponsorships and media partnerships helped claw back some of that cash. Even with that extra income, the final deficit landed at roughly 30 million dollars, BBC Sport reported.
Andrew Schleimer serves as the chief financial officer for the parent company of the UFC. He explained the steep financial hit during a recent breakdown.
“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 told BBC Sport.
Falling short on viewers
Company president Dana White previously guessed the broadcast would pull in an audience to rival the Super Bowl.
Trump also bragged that the fights might mean more than the FIFA World Cup, according to HuffPost.
The actual audience numbers told a very different story. The broadcast pulled in 34 million viewers, which is roughly a quarter of the audience that tuned into the Super Bowl back in February.
Backlash hits the broadcast
The massive birthday bash also faced heavy public backlash for reasons entirely unrelated to money or television ratings.
During a live post-fight interview, heavyweight competitor Josh Hokit abruptly yelled out a bizarre insult. The fighter randomly announced on television that former first lady Michelle Obama is a man.
That unexpected outburst quickly overshadowed the actual fighting. Dana White eventually had to step in and publicly condemn the controversial remarks.
Sources: HuffPost, BBC Sport
