MMA

Report: UFC To Lay Off About 15 Percent of Staff

John MoorehouseOctober 18, 2016, 7:16 pm

WME-IMG, the new owners of the UFC, reportedly are making a significant number of layoffs to the UFC staff.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie reported that WME-IMG plans to lay off about 15 percent of the total UFC staff. That would represent approximately 400 total jobs.

That report came after Ariel Helwani posted on Tuesday morning that roughly half of the staff of the UFC Asia office had been let go, as part of a series of tweets:

Update on our UFC biz discussion on yesterday's #themmahour: I'm told around half of the UFC's Asia office has been let go.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 18, 2016

Unfortunately, the overwhelming sentiment is more cuts are to come very soon. It's an uneasy feeling for the staff. My best wishes to them.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 18, 2016

Multiple sources have described the morale at UFC HQ in Vegas as "very bad." One equated it to "a morgue." Lots of uncertainty these days.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 18, 2016

We sometimes forget that the UFC is home to 300+ super hard-working men & women. Really great people there. Hope it all works out for them.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 18, 2016

WME-IMG purchased the UFC in July, paying $4 billion to purchase the mixed martial arts brand.

There already have seen some significant executive changes since the sale. Lorenzo Fertitta stepped down as CEO. Longtime matchmaker Joe Silva declared his plan to retire, though that retirement has yet to occur. Just last week, Dave Sholler stepped down as UFC vice president of public relations, athlete marketing and development, after accepting a position with the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA.