Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for UFC

Lawrence Epstein serves as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for UFC, where he is responsible for all global business operations and for managing the company’s overall performance and growth.

Over the years, Epstein has played a pivotal role in negotiating UFC’s most significant business deals, including the early landmark media agreements with Viacom and FOX Sports, which fueled UFC’s rapid rise, and most recently, the $3.5 billion media rights agreement with ESPN, which has elevated UFC to unprecedented growth and popularity. In 2010, Epstein negotiated the ten percent sale of UFC to Abu Dhabi-owned Flash Entertainment, an investment arm of the government, and later, in 2016, Epstein led the team that negotiated the sale of UFC to Endeavor for more than $4 billion, recognized at the time as the largest sale of a sports property in history.
In 2020, Epstein helped successfully lead UFC through the challenges of the global pandemic when he negotiated with the government of Abu Dhabi to host the FIGHT ISLAND series of events, which captured the imagination of the sports world and led UFC to become the first major professional sports organization in the U.S. to resume live events following the pandemic shutdown.

Beyond UFC, Epstein serves on the board of directors for the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, which owns and oversees Allegiant Stadium, home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, and he is a member of the Board of Managers of Pioneer TopCo GP, LLC., parent of The Venetian resort complex in Las Vegas. Epstein also serves on the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust and the Vanderbilt Law School Board of Advisors, and he is President of IKE Gaming, Inc., the owner of the iconic El Cortez Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas.

Prior to UFC, Epstein was a Partner and the President of Nevada-based law firm Beckley Singleton. He holds a Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University.