Ari Emanuel Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Ari Emanuel saw his compensation package at TKO Group Holdings rise to $67.3 million in 2025, a sharp increase from 2024, when his compensation totaled $18.1 million.
Emanuel is executive chair and CEO of TKO, which owns the UFC, WWE, IMG and PBR, among other assets. His 2025 salary remained $3 million, while his bonus rose to $11.9 million, his stock award rose to nearly $44 million, and his non-equity incentive plan comp topped $8.1 million.
TKO disclosed its senior executive pay in its annual proxy filing Thursday afternoon. Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of TKO, saw his compensation package rise to $42.6 million in 2025, up from $31.9 million in 2024, while CFO Andrew Schleimer saw his pay rise to $23.1 million.
Nick Khan, the president of WWE and a TKO board member, had 2025 compensation that totaled $24.3 million.
As with all executive compensation at large public companies, the amount the executives actually take home depends heavily on the trajectory of the company’s share price.
2025, of course, was a big year for TKO, thanks to new rights deals it inked for the WWE with Netflix and USA, as well as UFC’s deal with Paramount, which officially began earlier this year. The company also closed its deal for PBR, IMG, On Location and other assets that had been a part of Endeavor Group Holdings.
The proxy also disclosed some financial details related to Dwayne Johnson’s work with TKO. Johnson is now a major movie star, but used to perform for the WWE as “The Rock.” According to the proxy, TKO paid Johnson $900,000 in royalty payments related to the use of the Rock IP. TKO is also working with Johnson’s production company Seven Bucks on a potential unscripted project, paying the firm an amount less than $120,000 last year.
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