WME – IMG has announced their purchase of the UFC. The purchase of this mixed martial arts organization has been done with an amount of $4 Billion. This whooping price tag of $4 Billion has been reported by many outlets which include outlets like The New York Times and ESPN.
After the purchase of UFC, WME-IMG will now serve as the operating partner of this organization and they will be joined by KKR and Silver Lake Partners as their strategic investors. And the other equity financing will be provided by MSD Capital and L.P.
On this purchase of UFC WME quoted that –
“We’ve been fortunate over the years to represent UFC and a number of its remarkable athletes”. On the other hand, IMG Co-CEOs Patrick Whitesell and Ariel Emanuel said that “ 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.”
The President of UFC, Dana White will continue to be the President of this organization even after the purchase. And after the purchase of UFC, Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta will keep a passive minority interest with the UFC. On this, Lorenzo Fertitta said that” We’re confident that the new ownership team of WME | IMG, with whom we’ve built a strong relationship over the last several years, is committed to accelerating UFC’s global growth. Most importantly, our new owners share the same vision and passion for this organization and its athletes”.
The news came out just after the few hours of UFC 200 this weekend. The Fertitta Brother purchased this UFC in 2001 for an amount of $2 Million and now sold it for $4 Billion in 2016. White in his statement said that no other sport can compare to UFC. He further stated that, their goal has always been to put the best and the biggest fights for their fans and to make this sport the biggest sport in the world.
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