UFC sold to entertainment company for $4 billion; White to remain public face

LOS ANGELES — In less than 16 years, the UFC has grown from a money-losing company in a widely reviled sport into a global entertainment property worth $4 billion.

While the UFC and its new owners figure out the company’s next steps, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta are tapping out of mixed martial arts with a remarkable return on a $2 million investment.

The UFC has been sold for approximately $4 billion to a group led by Hollywood entertainment conglomerate WME-IMG, both companies confirmed Monday.

The sale will spectacularly benefit the Fertitta brothers and UFC President Dana White, who first persuaded his wealthy high school buddies to buy the cage fighting promotion in 2001. White also owned 9 percent of the company, and he isn’t going anywhere despite his own windfall: He’ll remain the boss and public face of the UFC while keeping an ownership stake.

“No other sport compares to UFC,” White said. “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.”

Since their purchase of IMGthree years ago, WME co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell have been pursuing properties throughout sports and enter- tainment ahead of a possible initial public offering. The UFC is their biggest buy yet — and the deal appears to be the largest single financial transaction in the history of sports.

“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,” Emanuel said.

In their first public comments about the deal, White and the new owners have suggested little will change at first for the promotion. The UFC has a full slate of fights scheduled this year, all building toward its long-awaited debut at Madison Square Garden in November after New York legalized MMAearlier this year.

But the UFC’s new financial backing and WME-IMG’s marketing dexterity seem certain to lead to even more growth and global prominence for MMA’s dominant promotion, which has bought out or eliminated many of its competitors in the sport.

With more than 500 athletes under contract, the UFC stages roughly 40 events per year and is broadcast in more than 150 countries, reaching 1.1 billion television households. The UFC is frequently described as the world’s largest pay-per-view event provider, and it also has a prolific digital streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, that it describes as “Netflix for fight fans” and is a key component of potential growth.

What’s more, the UFC’s broadcast deal with Fox also ends in 2018, and the next contract is expected to be lucrative.