# Marshall Zelaznik

> Marshall Zelaznik is an American sports-media executive and the CEO of GLORY Kickboxing. A lawyer by training, he moved through pay-per-view programming into a decade at UFC, where he worked on international expansion and helped launch UFC Fight Pass. After posts at Activision Blizzard and Esports Engine, he returned in 2024 for a second term at GLORY, describing the job as unfinished business.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at GLORY Kickboxing
- **Organizations:** GLORY Kickboxing, Esports Engine, Vindex, Activision Blizzard, Ultimate Fighting Championship, iN DEMAND, Schaffer, Lax, McNaughton & Chen
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Juris Doctor, University of San Francisco School of Law
- **Known for:** Helped lead UFC's international expansion during a ten-year tenure that included the opening of offices in China, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Singapore., Led the team behind the launch and management of the UFC Fight Pass subscription streaming platform., Played a role in the launch of Activision Blizzard's Overwatch League.

## Career timeline

- **1992-2003** — Practised law and became a shareholder at Schaffer, Lax, McNaughton & Chen.
- **2003-2006** — Served as vice president of programming at pay-per-view provider iN DEMAND.
- **2006-2016** — Held senior roles at UFC spanning its UK business, international development, media distribution and content; helped launch UFC Fight Pass.
- **2016-2018** — Joined Activision Blizzard as global head of business development and content and contributed to the launch of the Overwatch League.
- **2018-2020** — First served as CEO of GLORY, expanding television distribution and sponsorship revenue and promoting COLLISION 2.
- **2020-2024** — Led Esports Engine, a Vindex company, overseeing esports leagues, live production, broadcasts and technology.
- **2024-present** — Returned to GLORY for a second term as CEO, describing the opportunity as unfinished business.

## Achievements

- Helped lead UFC's international expansion during a ten-year tenure that included the opening of offices in China, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Singapore.
- Led the team behind the launch and management of the UFC Fight Pass subscription streaming platform.
- Played a role in the launch of Activision Blizzard's Overwatch League.
- During his first GLORY term, the promotion expanded global television distribution, reported record sponsorship revenue and staged COLLISION 2 for more than 30,000 attendees.
- Led Esports Engine's work across esports league operations, live event production, broadcasting and technology.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — GLORY relaunched GLORY Rivals with RingFight Promotions to create a pathway for emerging fighters and work with regional promotions.
- **2026-01** — GLORY announced a 2026 Dutch distribution agreement with KIJK and expanded its tournament format across the heavyweight, light heavyweight and welterweight divisions.
- **2025-11** — GLORY scheduled the Last Heavyweight Standing finals for February 2026 after a year-long tournament.
- **2025-08** — Zelaznik described the Last Heavyweight Standing tournament as unpredictable as GLORY announced its next Rotterdam event.
- **2025-05** — GLORY returned to the United States with GLORY Underground in Miami, a creator-oriented event produced with Betr.
- **2025-03** — Discussed GLORY's DAZN distribution, U.S. expansion, GLORY Underground and the promotion's heavyweight tournament in a series of interviews.
- **2024-03** — Returned to GLORY as CEO for a second term, four years after leaving the promotion.

## Links

- Website: https://glorykickboxing.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-zelaznik-42703270
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MrMarshallZ

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/marshall-zelaznik
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27