S&P Downgrades Zuffa Credit Rating After Rough 2014

The UFC has fallen under criticism this year for what some are saying is ‘over saturation’ of the sport, running events nearly every week, sometimes more than one a day.

According to MMA Payout Reports, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) has officially downgraded Zuffa’s credit from BB to BB-, a rating they have held since 2010. For those unfamiliar with S&P, they are the prominent financial analysis company in the United States, and release the S&P 500 list, which ranks the top 500 business’ in the US. The report said Zuffa “will experience a 30% decline in EBITDA (Earnings Before Income Tax, Depreciation and Amortization) in 2014 and greater EBITDA volatility over time than we previously had anticipated.”

Don’t worry however, the report also stated that Zuffa will likely stabilize in 2015, due to the fact that major stars will be returning from injuries, i.e. Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Chris Weidman.

With events like UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes II later this month, UFC 180: Velasquez vs. Werdum at the end of November, and UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II, which will be co-headlined by Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez at the end of December, the UFC will look to close out the year strong.