Joe Silva has spent two decades with the UFC and he’s made his money.
He made a lot of money!
The man behind the matchmaking of some of the greatest fights ever seen in the Octagon is set to call it a day following the windfall he earned from the recent sale of the organisation to WME-IMG.
Silva, who is one of the most recognisable faces of the behind-the-scenes realm of the UFC, was one of a few loyal servants who won big when the Fertitta brothers cashed in on their 2001 investment in the summer for a staggering $4 billion.
Silva’s time with the promotion was largely spent pairing up fighters from the lightweight to heavyweight divisions, while the lighter weight classes were left in the hands of partner Sean Shelby.
But with Silva set to part ways with the UFC in the coming months, a bit of a shake-up is expected in terms of responsibilities for the matchmakers.
According to a report from MMAFighting.com Shelby, in his new role as Senior Vice President of Talent Relations, will now be tasked with looking after the matchmaking in six weight classes.
Shelby will oversee both women’s divisions, strawweight and bantamweight, while he will also make the fights in the men’s bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight and welterweight classes.
Former Legacy FC owner and president Mick Maynard, who was brought in to help with Shelby’s added workload, will take charge of the men’s flyweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions in his capacity as Vice President of Talent Relations.
As for Silva… he’ll be chilling with his millions.
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