# Campbell McLaren

> Campbell McLaren is the co-creator of the UFC and the CEO and founder of Combate Global, the first Hispanic MMA sports and media franchise. The Scottish-born, American-raised TV producer dreamed up a 'no rules' fighting tournament inspired by the video game Mortal Kombat, produced the first 22 UFC events, and coined the slogan that both built and nearly buried the sport. Decades later he reinvented himself by betting on Latino fighters and audiences, building Combate Global into one of the most valuable combat sports organizations in the world.

- **Role:** CEO and Founder at Combate Global
- **Organizations:** Combate Global, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), Zilo / College TV Network, Caroline's Comedy Club
- **From:** Scotland
- **Nationality:** Scottish-American
- **Education:** AB, University of California, Berkeley, Video production (studied under documentarian Richard Leacock), MIT
- **Known for:** Co-created the UFC, premiering November 12, 1993, Named by ESPN as the 10th most influential person in UFC history, Personally produced the first 22 UFC events

## Career timeline

- **1980s** — Talent director at Caroline's Comedy Club (now Caroline's on Broadway) in New York
- **1989** — Began producing TV shows for cable, network, and pay-per-view, including specials for Paul McCartney and Ellen DeGeneres
- **1993** — As head of programming at Semaphore Entertainment Group, co-created the UFC; UFC 1 premiered November 12, 1993
- **1996** — Picked Joe Rogan to do post-fight interviews, beginning at UFC 12
- **1993-2000** — Personally produced the first 22 UFC events, from UFC 1 to UFC 22
- **2000** — UFC sold for $2 million; McLaren, an employee, made nothing from the sale. Co-founded Zilo / College TV Network with David Isaacs
- **2008** — Created the MMA reality series Iron Ring with Floyd Mayweather, Ludacris, Nelly, and T.I.
- **2011** — Founded Combate Global (originally Combate Americas), the first Hispanic MMA sports and media franchise
- **2019** — Combate Global inaugural Univision event drew 610,000 viewers; a Hidalgo, Texas card was the highest-rated MMA event of its night
- **2024** — Forbes ranked Combate Global the 10th most valuable combat sports organization in the world (~$120 million)
- **2025** — Combate Global partnered with YouTube for live streaming; launched all-female 'Combate Female' fight cards

## Achievements

- Co-created the UFC, premiering November 12, 1993
- Named by ESPN as the 10th most influential person in UFC history
- Personally produced the first 22 UFC events
- Coined the UFC's iconic 'There Are No Rules' marketing slogan and introduced the octagon concept to the broad public
- Won a Cable Ace Award and an Imagen Award
- Built Combate Global into a Forbes top-10 combat sports organization valued around $120 million
- Discovered and gave Joe Rogan his first UFC role

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Combate Global announced an all-female 'Combate Female' fight card, part of McLaren's push into women's MMA.
- **2025** — Combate Global partnered with YouTube to stream live events to a global Spanish-speaking audience.
- **2024** — Forbes ranked Combate Global the 10th most valuable combat sports organization in the world at roughly $120 million.

## Links

- Website: https://combateglobal.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/campbell-mclaren-3607b53
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/campbellcombate
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzQgoiEj3FI
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbellcombate/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/campbell-mclaren
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04