Issue 098
March 2013
From the courtroom to the forefront of Zuffa’s international development,
Leading Man
UFC’s managing director of international development
FO catches a red-eye flight with the UFC executive board heavy-hitter
In the role held by Marshall Zelaznik, as the UFC’s managing director of international development, his feet are barely on the ground. Physically, that is, as the executive role morphs into a series of tasks juggled with dexterity from the Las Vegas office.
As a member of Zuffa’s executive board – that also includes Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White – the master plan is global expansion. He needs to be a skillful negotiator – which he clearly is – carried by his own charm.
Zelaznik admits to Fighters Only that after six years as an executive in the world’s leading fight organisation if he were cut open, “I’d literally bleed UFC.” He reckons 11 years as a lawyer for law firm Schaffer and Lax in Los Angeles, California, prepared him well for a life in fight sports and the television business world.
“The world was caving in on me. My son had been born, and I made a career change,” he explains. “I went to In Demand TV, at a lower-level position, just acquiring content for them, working a little bit with boxing and then got very quickly involved with the UFC.”
At In Demand, UFC president Dana White was knocking at his door from 2002 to 2004. “He had a clear message and a real energy and zeal about him. A couple of years later, and there I was, employed by him,” he offers.
Zelaznik has always been a fight fan, he maintains: “I could do the Ali shuffle better than anybody. I probably can still do it. I might pull a quad muscle, but I think I can still do it.”
The UFC executive has always been a smooth politician, too. He believes it was from time spent in the courtroom. “In law, as in fight sports, there’s a lot of emotion and ego, and I’ve always tried to be honest and forthright with every negotiation. I want people to get the benefit of the bargain they do with me, in contracts or relationships, personally and professionally.
“People say how unsavoury it is to be dealing with the fight sport world, but I dealt with Don King and Bob Arum and always had great relationships – even to this day – with them. I treated them honestly and always felt like I got honest fair deals with them. There’s a perception that there is some dishonesty in this sport, but I don’t see it and I’ve been lucky that, at least in my world, that s**t doesn’t happen.”
Zelaznik spent just under five years in London. He joined the UFC in 2006, having headed to London alone to open the UFC’s UK office. He recalls: “I arrived there, started the office up from a local Caffè Nero, and had never sold a ticket to an event in my life. I was also nervous at the time that the fans wouldn’t realise how passionate I was about the sport succeeding.”
While in London, however, his role changed. “The London office became the international office, and my title morphed into the managing director of international development, because the UK office began to expand the UFC around the world. We were responsible for TV for most of the world, we brought all the events to the other parts of the world and I’m really proud of the team we built there, and the events we put on. I will never, ever, forget UFC 70 and the noise the fans made in Manchester. It will stay with me forever.”
He also cites when the UFC returned to Brazil, in 2011, as “electricifying” to be involved with. Recalled from London to Vegas in 2011, he continued to operate the world business, in close union with Lorenzo. “The heartbeat of the company was in Vegas, but everything was growing. What the company is doing is compartmentalising our international businesses so we can be more nimble and smarter. So now I’m sort of overseeing all of those offices.”
Consider this: Zelaznik’s involvement can swi http://i2media.itcdigitalservice.co.uk/overlord/tags tch from the distribution of Zuffa’s content in the world of media, to being on the front line with the television negotiation. From seeing a deal through to contract, or reviewing TV contracts, while maintaining connectivity with television partners.
“Beyond a TV deal being done, we then have to deliver the content, track live feeds, and so on,” he explains. “Then, in any given city, there might be regulatory issues, meetings with politicians and any city officials so they understand what’s happening. There’s the venue deal. But I love getting down and dirty in the weeds in the garden.
“Then there’s merchandise and licensing around the world which we have weekly meetings here to talk about, but I’d say the majority of my job is making sure that things are happening, that trains are leaving the station on time, all the teams are working collectively to make sure we’re successful in these markets.
“The UFC has so many brilliant executives, things get resolved quickly. On any really sticky wickets, Dana and Lorenzo are the ultimate fighters.” And, Zelaznik finishes. “This maybe sounds like I’m pandering a bit but we have really good people in this company that are as passionate as Dana and Lorenzo are to see the business grow. It doesn’t feel overwhelming. It’s hard to call it a job, frankly. I’m lucky.”
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