After weeks of speculation and reports, the UFC has been officially sold to the William Morris-IMG Agency (WME-IMG) for $4 billion.
The news of the UFC being purchased by WME-IMG was announced in a press release on Monday morning.
“We’ve been fortunate over the years to represent UFC and a number of its remarkable athletes,” said WME-IMG Co-CEOs Ariel Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell. “It’s been exciting to watch the organization’s incredible growth over the last decade under the leadership of the Fertitta brothers, Dana White and their dedicated team. 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.”
Upon the closing of this deal, Lorenzo Fertitta will step down from day-to-day operations, but Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta will both retain a passive minority interest in the organization. Dana White will remain the President of the promotion and he stated in the press release that he is looking forward to working with WME-IMG.
“No other sport compares to UFC,” remarked Dana White, UFC’s President who will continue in that role. “Our goal has always been to put on the biggest and the best fights for our fans, and to make this the biggest sport in the world. I’m looking forward to working with WME-IMG to continue to take this sport to the next level.”
According to today’s press release, the UFC transaction is subject to customary closing condition and terms of the transaction were not disclosed.