In the past, WME ǀ IMG had represented UFC and some of its athletes, disclose Emmanuel and Patrick Whitesell, co-CEOs of WME ǀ IMG.
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The UFC’s current owners purchased the promotion for roughly $2 million in 2000.
The announcement was confirmed on UFC’s website on Monday, July 11 that the Fertitta brothers have sold the company to WME-IMG and will only maintain a passive minority interest in UFC. “Most importantly, our new owners share the same vision and passion for this organization and its athletes”, Lorenzo Fertitta stated.
In an official Zuffa press release, White made a brief statement about partnering with WME-IMG to help further grow the UFC and the sport of MMA itself.
The UFC has built the sport of mixed martial arts into a main stream attraction throughout its 23 year history, and much of the credit for doing so should be handed to White and the Fertitta brothers.
News of the sale, denied the past few weeks, was made on Sunday during the last UFC 200 fight event that featured Brock Lesnar and Jose Aldo. Still, it bodes well for the continued success of UFC that, for the time being, things will remain unchanged, with White staying on as president and promotional face of the company.
Earlier this year, the UFC also earned a victory in NY politics as after an eight-year fight, mixed martial arts was legalized in the state.
After helping Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz become stars who straddled the line between sports and entertainment, the promotion now boasts a stable of elite athletes with mainstream fame, including Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, who is represented by WME. Flash forward to 2014 and Forbes is now naming the UFC of the most valuable sports brand on the planet.
UFC, founded in 1993, popularized cage fighting and now holds more than 40 fights around the world every year. UFC events are now watched in more than 150 countries, reaching a massive 1.1 billion television households worldwide.
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The company was purchased by a group of investors that includes talent agency WME-IMG and Michael Dell’s MSD Capital.
