Emanuel: John Skipper misled Endeavor about wanting UFC rights
Ari Emanuel · Ari Emanuel’s "Anti-AI" Bet on Live Entertainment · Invest Like The Best · Nov 19, 2025 · at 5:45
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel describes how unexpected executive turnover at ESPN led Disney leadership to acquire UFC rights to power the launch of ESPN+.
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“ESPN fires John Skipper, who was always shining me on that he wanted it. He never wanted it. Bob Iger and Kevin Mayer say we want it cause we're going to go direct.”
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