UFC exec: 'A bit of a misnomer to say we've gotten away' from competitive matchmaking

Don’t read too much into that recent boxing blockbuster between UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather.

Those are the words of caution from UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein.

ESPN.com recently caught up with Epstein, as well as company president Dana White, who strongly rebuked claims that 2017 was a down year for the promotion and its new owners, Endeavor. It’s a wide-ranging piece that hits on a number of key business storylines heading into 2018.

“WME-IMG Endeavor bought us for $4 billion, and obviously they need to hit certain numbers for the banks,” White told ESPN.com. “Right now, I’m spending another $1 million (at UFC’s Las Vegas headquarters) on another wing I want. That’s how bad of a year we’re having.

“(Endeavor CEO) Ari Emanuel wants to buy the building next door and build more sh*t. We’re still growing.”

In the piece, White also discusses the UFC’s ability – and some say, inability – to build stars. But White pointed to upcoming heavyweight title challenger and UFC 220 headliner Francis Ngannou – and on a smaller scale, bantamweight prospect Sean O'Malley – as proof the company can help manufacture stars when if the foundation is in place.

“I hear that all the time, but who the f*ck builds more stars than we do in combat sports?” White said. “Nobody.”

But don’t expect the organization to too heavily tip the sport vs. entertainment scale. Although it was done with McGregor vs. Mayweather – and resulted in a massively lucrative event by any measure – Epstein suggested that most opportunities in the UFC will be earned the traditional way.

“Competitive matchmaking is one of the hallmarks of the UFC,” Epstein said. “Yeah, you might do a Mayweather-McGregor fight here or there, or something the fans are dying to see, but at the end of the day, competitive matchmaking is what we do. I think it’s a bit of a misnomer to say we’ve gotten away from that.

“In boxing, you’ve got to be 20-0 before you become somebody, and yet you haven’t fought anybody. That’s not our model.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.