White, who owned 9 percent of UFC, will stay on and be given a stake of the new business, according to ESPN. Talent agency WME-IMG paid $4 billion and will be the primary owner, along with Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and MSD Capital and the investment firm of Michael Dell.
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The UFC has been officially sold to the WME-IMG group for a reported $4 billion, but Dana White’s role as the promotion’s president will remain unchanged. Casino owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased the company for million in 2000, a far cry from the reported sale price. The Abu Dhabi government’s Flash Entertainment is a 10 percent owner of UFC, whose parent company is Zuffa LLC.
“We’re now committed to pursuing new opportunities for UFC and its talented athletes to ensure the sport’s continued growth and success on a global scale”.
It’s too soon to tell whether the deal will lead to more money for the UFC’s non-unionized athletes. UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta have tapped out of the company after almost 16 years, although they’ll retain a minority interest.
For those anxious about the future of the sport in the hands of the new owners, White, our longtime leader, told fans that they should not only not be anxious, but they should be excited about this news. IMG will also serve as UFC’s operating partner. Its position atop MMA also allows it to match the sport’s top fighters against each other consistently, setting it apart from the hopelessly fractured world of boxing.
For instance, Lesnar made a disclosed $2.5 million along with probable millions in undisclosed bonuses for his victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 last Saturday.
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UFC is one of the largest contributors to the Cleveland Clinic’s Professional Fighters Brain Health Study, and it has the most robust drug testing programme in professional sports administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. It produces 40 live pay-per-view TV events a year, reaching 1.1 billion TV home worldwide. “I’m looking forward to working with WME-IMG to continue to take this sport to the next level”.
