Former UFC executive vice president Marshall Zelaznik appointed as GLORY CEO

On Tuesday, Glory Sports International, parent company to kickboxing promotion GLORY, announced the appointment of former UFC executive vice president and chief content officer, Marshall Zelaznik, as CEO.

Zelaznik, who is set to lead GLORY’s global operations, has vast experience from his days with the UFC. In his ten years with the UFC, Zelaznik’s teams oversaw worldwide content distribution, developing pay-per-view markets outside of the US, as well as the promoting the sport in various markets.

Zelaznik was instrumental in launching and managing UFC offices in Toronto, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Singapore and London. During his UFC tenure, he also established live event broadcasts in UK, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, UAE, Japan, Korea, Philippines and Mexico.

As quoted in the press release, Zelaznik hopes to build a platform that will allow GLORY fighters to “showcase their talent to the world.”

“From the time I was young boy, watching boxing matches, I was always impressed with the talent, skill and heart of fighters who stepped between the ropes. I have been very fortunate to be able to work in the combat sports space for many years and to be given this chance to work with GLORY, to help lead its future, is very humbling.” said Zelaznik.

“GLORY has done everything right to get to this point and I will ensure that my effort is singularly focused on continuing to develop GLORY as a place where fighters remain proud to compete. GLORY will be committed to building a platform for our athletes to showcase their incredible talent for the world.”

After leaving the UFC in 2016, Zelaznik was appointed as global head of business and content for Major League Gaming. Previously, he has also served vice president of programming for iN DEMAND.

GLORY co-founder and chairman, Pierre Andurand, hopes Zelaznik will lead the promotion in its “next phase of growth”.

“There is no doubt Marshall has the experience and vision to take GLORY to the next level as a global sports league. We are delighted to welcome him to the Chief Executive’s office and look forward to him leading the next phase of growth for GLORY.”