What was UNLV’s compensation for moving game to accommodate Canelo fight?
UNLV will receive a significant windfall for moving its home-opening football game against Idaho State to Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
TKO Worldwide LLC, the parent company of Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, agreed to pay $1.75 million to the university’s athletic department in exchange for moving the game up three weeks, a document acquired by the Review-Journal revealed.
The game was originally scheduled to be played Sept. 13, but TKO wanted that date at Allegiant Stadium to host the first boxing event under its promotional banner, a megafight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford.
Along with the lump sum payment, the athletic department will receive a suite and 100 tickets to the fight.
A contract between the parties dated June 27 indicated the move was necessitated because “significant fan interest” in the boxing match “requires that it be held at a venue with sufficient capacity to accommodate tens of thousands of attendees, and the only venue in Las Vegas with suitable capacity is Allegiant Stadium.”
Crucial time for college sports
Agreeing to move the game up three weeks and make it the earliest one in program history allowed the athletic department to acquire valuable assets at a time when money and donor relations are as important as ever in college athletics.
Like the vast majority of major programs, UNLV opted into a revenue-sharing model this summer that will allow athletes to get paid.
The school’s athletic department was nearly $27 million in debt, the school reported to the Board of Regents in March. That is expected to be largely addressed by an influx of money from the Mountain West as a result of UNLV’s decision to stay in the league, though those payments are currently tied up in litigation with the schools departing for the Pac-12.
“The terms reached to offset our major schedule change — including the financial resources and event tickets — will be strategically used to strengthen our programs,” UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said in a statement. “The agreement reflects our commitment to being a strong community partner while always prioritizing the student-athlete experience.”
An agreement was sent to UNLV officials and signed by Ike Lawrence Epstein, the UFC’s senior executive vice president and COO, and Harper on June 27.
Three other UNLV officials signed the agreement June 30, including interim president Chris Heavey.
UFC and TKO officials declined comment through a spokesperson.
The significant fee was justified because of “certain costs and inconvenience associated with rescheduling” the game, according to the agreement.
“TKO Worldwide has requested that UNLV athletics reschedule the football game to accommodate the (boxing event) and is willing to compensate UNLV athletics for the cost and inconvenience of doing so,” the agreement states.
Idaho State cashes in, too
UNLV had to get Idaho State to agree to the move and seek an NCAA waiver to host a game at such an early date on the college football calendar.
An amended game contract with Idaho State calls for UNLV to pay the Football Championship Subdivision school a $500,000 guarantee.
That number is in line with other payouts for FCS schools visiting Football Bowl Subdivision programs, according to sources.
UNLV made a school-record $1.5 million for playing at Michigan in 2023.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.