Regardless of Netflix claiming 6 millions viewers for the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight at Madison Square Garden, it was TKO & Turki Alalshikh that sent a real message this past weekend. From the WWE’s Atlanta doubleheader (SNME & Evolution) to Turki’s big New York event with Shakur Stevenson (video here), Team TKO’s friendly orbit of promoter friendlies found plenty of ways to suck media oxygen away from Tony Khan’s big All In event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. I don’t know what else AEW could have done to win this past weekend’s news cycle.
This week’s free edition of The MMA Draw focuses on the grand vision that Ari Emanuel’s elites have for combat sports. The sports we love to watch and pay for are now their play toys. The public at large is now kissing the ring and serving at the beck-and-call of politicians as promoters.
Zero resistance from the public. Total and complete capitulation. No one is even contemplating how much money is left from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to keep financing Turki’s high-priced ventures. The old guard isn’t even lifting a finger in opposition. This includes America’s loudest politicians.
If Turki Alalshikh wants to show up in Brooklyn and watch pro fighters headhunt each other to win the prize of getting booked for his Canelo-Crawford undercard, he will sit in a royal white seat with red velvet ropes. No questions asked.
The event calendar might seem exhausting right now but it’s safe to expect some contraction from non-TKO players in 2026, as recently discussed by John Nash at Uncrowned.
Non-TKO promoters are starting to run out of financial runway. The barriers of entry and financial maintenance are rising. The only question to ask is who will be left standing as opposition to TKO in 2026.
The expansion of the corporate minor leagues will come from the Hollywood movie studio known as the APEX warehouse in Las Vegas.
This new financial fight system molded by the unholy alliance of TKO and their political allies like US President Donald J. Trump, Turki Alalshikh, and Khaldoon Al Mubarak insulates the most powerful people in the world from assuming traditional risk that normal actors in combat sports would face.
Now, the tables have turned. The media executives are fearful of politicians with the bully pulpit. The idea that executives could or would feel as if they need to bid for fight events as some sort of political protection is patently absurd.
If you’re not part of the Big Club, you’re dead in the water. It’s why PFL recently had to make the call to bring in former Time Warner executive John Martin.
Legacy brands are dying left and right. 60 Minutes. Showtime. The on-again, off-again usage of HBO. Bellator. So much history is being buried in real time. It’s unnerving.
This week’s MMA Draw podcast voices an uncensored look at how far things have escalated and what the political roadmap for the rest of 2025 looks like. It’s daunting, and the scary part is that most fans don’t comprehend what is unfolding in front of their face.
If you have a funny feeling that something isn’t quite right with the current state of combat sports affairs, you’re not alone. Join us for this week’s free edition of The MMA Draw podcast. We would love to hear your feedback and relay your concerns to the decision makers — many of whom happen to be subscribers to The MMA Draw newsletter on Substack.
We’ll say hello to them on your behalf.
You can check out The MMA Draw Podcast on Substack via the following feeds:
Nate Wilcox is Editor-in-Chief of The MMA Draw. He founded BloodyElbow.com in 2007 and sold it in 2024.
Zach Arnold is a lead opinion writer for The MMA Draw on Substack. His archives can be read at FightOpinion.com.
Share this post