Over the course of its 23-year existence, UFC has elevated mixed martial arts competition from being a sideshow on the fringe of mainstream culture, to its status today as the dynamo behind a global sports empire. 

In July 2016, the talent powerhouse WME-IMG announced the acquisition of UFC for $4 billion, further attesting to the fight organization’s central position within the upper echelon of sports and entertainment brands. 

Ike Lawrence Epstein (Senior EVP and Chief Operating Officer, UFC) joined M{2e} co-director, Christopher H. Smith, for an in-depth conversation on March 6th about the sports franchise's incredible growth story.  The event was part of the M{2e} Spring 2017 Speaker Series: Sports Programming in the Post-TV Era.

Click below to see a gallery of photos from the visit: