The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts organization has been sold to Hollywood talent agency powerhouse WME/IMG for a reported $4b, earning a handsome profit for former owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.
Rumors of a UFC sale had been circulating for months, but the deal was finally confirmed on Sunday by UFC president Dana White, who will be staying on as president and the public face of the organization.
White, who held a 9% stake in the UFC, has traded his holdings for shares in the UFC’s new ownership. The government of Abu Dhabi, which held a 10% UFC stake, is also sticking around.
The Fertitta brothers, who held an 80% stake in the UFC via their Zufa LLC business, have retained a small passive minority position in the new entity. Lorenzo Fertitta will be relinquishing his role as UFC chairman. White declined to speculate on what either Fertitta brother might choose to do with their new supply of free cash.