16 UFC fighters past and present who run their own MMA promotions

nolan king

Tue, May 23, 2023, 1:00 a.m.·5 min read

In the fight game, fighters fight and promoters largely promote. It’s a nearly exclusive rule, but there are some exceptions.

While promoters never fight, occasionally a fighter will promote.

An increasing trend in recent years, more and more combat sports athletes are testing out the waters of running their own promotions. Oftentimes, it’s a fighter who has some name recognition, buzz, or influence in the sport. There are exceptions to the rule, however – fighters who have just figured out how to run a regional promotion successfully.

There are the more obvious stars like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jorge Masvidal, who have used their big platforms to promote their recent dive into promoting. There are also others who have quietly promoted behind the scenes for years.

Scroll below to see which current and former UFC fighters currently run their own promotions.

Note: Promotions that have not held an event since before 2019 were not included in this list – and this list is not necessarily all-inclusive.

Derek Brunson

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 01: (R-L) Derek Brunson punches Edmen Shahbazyan in their middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 01, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Name of promotion: Ultimate Battle Grounds

Launch year: 2018

Number of events to date: 10

Region(s): The Carolinas

Notable alumni: Bryan Battle

Johnny Case

Jun 24, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Johnny Case weighs in for UFC fight night at Renaissance Waterford Oklahoma City Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Midwest Cage Championship

Launch year: 2006 (Case purchased in 2016)

Number of events to date: 66

Region(s): Iowa

Notable alumni: Kevin Burns, Johnny Case, Luis Saldana, T.J. O’Brien, Brad Imes, Rakim Cleveland, Michael McBride, Jordan Young, Elvis Mutapcic

Donald Cerrone

Name: Cowboy Fight Series

Launch year: 2019

Number of events to date: 4

Region(s): Virginia

Notable alumni: Sumiko Inaba

Cris Cyborg

Jul 27, 2019; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Cris Cyborg (red gloves) and Felicia Spencer (blue gloves) during UFC 240 at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Nação Cyborg

Launch year: 2018

Number of events to date: 12

Region(s): Brazil

Notable alumni: Melissa Gatto, Guto Inocente, William Macario

Urijah Faber

Dec 14, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Urijah Faber (blue gloves) prepares to fight against Petr Yan (not pictured) during UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat

Launch year: 2022

Number of events to date: 0 (inaugural card set for May 1)

Region(s): California

Notable alumni: n/a

Alexander Gustafsson

Sep 21, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Alexander Gustafsson (left) fights Jon Jones during their Light Heavyweight Championship bout at UFC 165 at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Name: AK Fighting Championship

Launch year: 2018

Number of events to date: 3

Region(s): Sweden

Dan Henderson

Name: Hendo’s Fight Night

Launch year: 2018

Number of events to date: 8

Region(s): California

Wallid Ismail

Name: Jungle Fight

Launch year: 2003

Number of events to date: 105

Region(s): Brazil

Notable alumni: Lyoto Machida, Ronaldo Souza, Jorge Patino, Fabricio Werdum, Gabriel Gonzaga, Justin McCully, Evangelista Santos, Travis Wiuff, Adriano Martins, Fredson Paixao, Chinzo Machida, Vladimir Matyushenko, Jose Aldo, Alexandre Ferreira, Thales Leites, Marcos Galvao, Danillo Villefort, Steve Cantwell, Igor Pokrajac, Haim Gozali, Paulo Thiago, Johnny Eduardo, Erick Silva, Ronys Torres, Todd Duffee, Hacran Dias, Charles Oliveira, Renee Forte, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Dion Staring, Vanessa Porto, Nazareno Malegarie, Brett Cooper, Sergio Moraes, Rodrigo Damm, Renan Barao, Marcelo Guimares, Pedro Munhoz, Renato Moicano, Iuri Alcantara, Viscardi Andrade, Francisco Trinaldo, Ilarde Santos, John Lineker, Alan Patrick, Elias Silveiro, Douglas Silva de Andrade, Rodney Wallace, Valmir Lazaro, Warlley Alves, Bethe Correia, Guilherme Bomba, Thiago Silva, Tiago Trator, Larissa Pacheco, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Gabriel Silva, Deiveson Figueiredo, Amanda Ribas, Amanda Lemos, Alex Pereira, Matheus Mattos, Bruno Cappelozza, Paulo Costa, Polyana Viana, Klidson Abreu, Norma Dumont, Felipe Colares, Kleydson Rodrigues,

Brett Johns

Brett Johns

Name: Brett Johns Fight Nights

Launch year: 2022

Number of events to date: 0 (inaugural card set for May 14)

Region(s): United Kingdom

Notable alumni: n/a

Calvin Kattar

Name: Combat Zone MMA

Launch year: 2003 (Kattar purchased in 2013)

Number of events to date: 75

Region(s): New England

Notable alumni: Joe Lauzon, Kenny Florian, Drew Fickett, Marcus Davis, Mike Brown, John Howard, Dan Lauzon, Josh Grispi, Calvin Kattar, Parker Porter, Ken Stone, Pat Audinwood

James Krause

James Krause

Name: Fighting Alliance Championship (FAC)

Launch year: 2012 (rebranded from KCFA to FAC in 2019)

Number of events to date: 12

Region(s): Missouri

Notable alumni: Kevin Croom, Jason Witt, Jeff Molina, David Onama, Trey Ogden, Jason High, Jake Lindsey, Mike Breeden, Chance Rencountre, Isaac Dulgarian

Jorge Masvidal

Promotion: Gamebred FC

Launch year: 2021

Number of events to date: 3

Region(s): Southeast United States (expansion expected in 2022)

Notable alumni: Jason Knight, Charles Bennett, Brok Weaver, Alex Nicholson, Rob Emerosn, Andy Nguyen, Jonathan Ivey, Anthony Njokuani, Tony Lopez

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Promotion: Eagle FC

Launch year: 2020 (Gorilla FC rebranded)

Number of events to date: 46

Region(s): Russia, Florida

Notable alumni: Kevin Lee, Diego Sanchez, Rizvan Kuniev, Ray Borg, Ricky Bandejas, Irwin Rivera, Impa Kasanganay, Sergei Kharitonov, Tyrone Spong, Rashad Evans, Cody Gibson, Yorgan De Castro, Loik Radzhabov, Ramazan Kuramagomedov, Alexander Shlemenko

Suman Mokhtarian