Agent Daniel Rubenstein talks about ‘global explosion’ of the fight business

As one of the top MMA agents in the world, Daniel Rubenstein has had a front row seat to the rise of the sport and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently represents such UFC fighters as bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, and has earned a reputation as one of the sport’s go-to agents for up and coming athletes and established veterans.

He spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about his upbringing, how he got into the business, what it’s like running a company and where he thinks the sport is going in the future.

Can you tell us a bit about your upbringing and anything that happened early if your life that led you to your current career path?

I grew up in New Jersey in a relatively athletic family. My sisters played sports all three seasons and I got into wrestling when I was 5 and played football, roller hockey, baseball and ran cross country until I got to high school when I focused on wrestling. I placed fourth in the New Jersey State Championships my senior year and ended up wrestling in college at the University of Oklahoma earning two varsity letters and was also the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Board. It was at OU I met another wrestler who I eventually became close friends with, Matt Grice. After he retired from wrestling due to injuries, he ended up fighting and eventually signing with the UFC. He asked me to be his manager and help him navigate the ins and outs of the sport of MMA and the rest as they say is history.

Ruby Sports & Entertainment was started in 2016 and we currently manage about 250 athletes with about 60 of them currently in major fight organizations. RubySE has nine total agents all around the world as well as a social media manager and a director of marketing/sponsorships.

Take us through running Ruby Sports & Entertainment and what does a typical day or week or month look like to you?

No two days are alike, which makes this life interesting. Some days are filled with meetings and calls trying to get deals done for our athletes. Other days are grinds in booking medicals, interviews, travel, chasing down paperwork. Some months are a lot of travel and others I’m at home the majority of the time in Las Vegas.

The world of MMA fighting has changed dramatically over the past decade, what is the biggest change you have seen in the sport lately and how does it impact your business?

I think the biggest change in the world of MMA is the global explosion of the sport and the coupling of social media. As MMA promotions continue to grow and these TV deals get bigger, it’s our challenge to figure out how to help the fighters grow their brands as well, both in terms of popularity and revenue. Just being a professional fighter isn’t enough in this world anymore to get fans excited about you anymore. There are some fighters who make more on social media than they do in the cage.

What advice would you give to your younger self that might help him better prepare for the career ahead of him?

Well I didn’t go to school for this. Everything I’ve learned about athlete representation I’ve learned with athletes who have trusted me with their careers as I was still learning and making mistakes along the way. Guys like Raphael Assuncao, Scott Holtzman and Michael Chiesa who decided to sign with me instead of larger more established agencies, I will be ever thankful to them for the loyalty they showed to me. The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone aspiring to work in this industry is honesty and relationships go a very long way. There’s always a path to getting a deal done so everyone involved is happy, you just need to work to figure that path out.

When you’re not running your company, what can people find you doing and what do you do to unwind from your work?

I’ve become obsessed with pickleball so I’m usually on the courts at least two hours a day. Outside of that, trying new restaurants in Las Vegas, barbecuing for friends, attending Golden Knights and Raiders games, even though I’m a die-hard 49ers fan. We’ve actually started a pickleball arm of the company representing professional pickleball athletes as well now.

Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.