The Fertitta brothers, Joe Silva and now Dave Sholler will all be long gone from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2017.
Following the $4.2bn capture of the UFC from entertainment and marketing giants WME-IMG, there were always going to be changes made.
While the Fertitta family were happy to take their share of the money and step into the shadows, many fight fans would have hoped for the promotion to carry on with a business as usual demeanour. That has not turned out to be the case.
On last night’s TUF Talk, on FOX Sports 1, Dana White confirmed the departure of Sholler, the man with the lengthy title of vice president of public relations, athlete marketing and development. The UFC president commented:
“Dave Sholler just announced that he’s leaving – another guy who I love and respect and loved working with. So yeah, it’s going to be different, but there’s a lot of good things going on.”
White is determined to stick around and has recently signed a five-year contract extension to continue in his current role.
Sholler, who is widely respected by UFC fighters and the media that cover the big events, is leaving to take over the communications department of the Philadelphia Sixers. He will leave his current post for the NBA outfit after UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden, on November 12.
Thank you ALL for the kind words. Amazing. Truly. Thank you. I'm closing this chapter with one final event: #UFC205 😉
— Dave Sholler (@DaveSholler) October 13, 2016
It's time to go home, to the organization I grew up rooting for. Will miss fight game very, very much, but excited for the new challenge.
— Dave Sholler (@DaveSholler) October 13, 2016
Sholler has had a front row seat for some of the most spectacular face-offs and press conferences in recent years. Coincidentally, two of them have involved Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.
He was in the middle of the pair’s first flurry of words at the UFC Gym in Torrance, California last February. Then, in August, he was needed to get McGregor back-stage as bottles, insults and cans of Monster flew.
Who will hold 168lb mixed martial artists back now?
