Ari Emanuel has officially joined the billionaire’s club, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire index. As the CEO of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of UFC and WWE, as well as Endeavor Group Holdings, Emanuel’s personal wealth has surpassed the $1 billion mark for the first time in his career.
One of the key factors in Emanuel’s newfound billionaire status is his ownership of both UFC and WWE. Endeavor Group Holdings has seen a significant increase in share price, nearly 50% over the past year. With the acquisitions of UFC for $4 billion in 2016 and WWE for $9.3 billion in 2023, which were later merged into TKO Group, the company’s stock price has risen by more than 70% since going public.
TKO Group is now valued at over $27 billion, with both UFC and WWE experiencing substantial growth under Emanuel’s leadership. WWE secured a $5 billion deal with Netflix for “Monday Night Raw,” while UFC is in negotiations for a new broadcast rights agreement that could exceed $1 billion annually starting in 2026.
Prior to his foray into the combat sports industry, Emanuel’s company represented high-profile clients such as Oprah Winfrey and Matt Damon. He also served as Donald Trump’s agent before his presidential run and has a close relationship with Elon Musk, with Endeavor being an early investor in Musk’s bid to acquire Twitter.
Known as the inspiration for the character “Ari Gold” from the HBO series “Entourage,” portrayed by Jeremy Piven, Emanuel is also an early investor in Uber and a founding investor in the Raine Group, a global merchant bank. These ventures, as noted by Bloomberg, have the potential to further boost his net worth.