Ike Lawrence Epstein is executive vice president and general counsel for Zuffa LLC, also known as “The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).” Epstein is responsible for all of the company’s legal, regulatory and governmental affairs in the United States and internationally.
Prior to joining Zuffa, Epstein was a shareholder in the litigation department and president of the Nevada-based law firm Beckley Singleton. Epstein joined Beckley Singleton in 1993. His practice focused on business, real estate and tort litigation. It also encompassed transactional work including contracts relating to the boxing and entertainment businesses and hotel casino acquisitions.
While at the firm, Mr. Epstein represented a variety of clients including boxing promoter Top Rank Inc., Stratosphere Gaming Corp., Lincoln Financial Group and Las Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan. He has held non-restricted gaming licenses in the State of Nevada since 1992 and has served as outside general counsel for numerous hotel casinos in Las Vegas.
Mr. Epstein holds bachelor’s and law degrees from Vanderbilt. After graduating from law school in 1992, he served a yearlong judicial clerkship with the Honorable Joseph Pavlikowski of the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada.
Over the past eight years, UFC has led the regulatory effort for mixed martial arts, which is now sanctioned by the most prestigious regulatory bodies in the world including the California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Illinois State athletic commissions. In 2005, the company launched the hit reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, now in its eighth season on Spike TV. Anheuser-Busch Inc. and Harley-Davidson Motor Co. have forged core sponsorships of UFC events, which have a viewership base of millions. UFC can be seen on some form of television in more than 100 countries and territories. UFC is the largest pay-per-view content provider in the world and is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in history.
A lifelong resident of Las Vegas, Epstein has also been involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations. He is currently the chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Meadows School, a private nonsectarian pre-K through-12 institution.