TKO combines WWE & UFC sponsorship teams

The further unification of the business practices of WWE and UFC under the TKO banner has continued with Thursday’s announcement they are putting both sponsorship teams under one unit.

As part of the news, Grant Norris-Jones was promoted to the role of executive VP & head of global properties for TKO while Lou Koskovolis becomes TKO executive VP of global partnerships. Norris-Jones has been part of UFC’s team for six years.

From the release: “Together, they will focus on delivering unique, authentic integrations for TKO’s corporate partners.”

The company boasts “partnership sales, activations, and operations teams in New York, Las Vegas, Stamford, Conn., London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Shanghai, and Toronto, the newly combined unit will focus on creating new revenue opportunities and brand integrations across UFC’s and WWE’s must-watch live and original content.”

TKO leadership, namely Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, have previously mentioned running the “UFC playbook” when it comes to WWE business practices like sponsorship. Both have also said the days when Vince McMahon didn’t want to sell in-arena advertising on things like the ring mat, etc. are over.

UFC generated $12.2 million in sponsorship revenue in the third quarter of 2023 and inked their largest deal ever — a six-year, $100+ million deal with Bud Light — in October.