Sale of UFC is complete, UFC 202 under new ownership
New UFC owners send the fighters a message
Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother Frank, convinced by high school friend Dana White, bought the UFC for $2,000,000 in January of 2001. They lost tens of millions of dollars and were looking for a buyer when they decided to fund one last shot – a reality television show called The Ultimate Fighter.
The season ended with Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, a fight that was everything MMA can be. It proved to be so popular, that the future of the MMA was secure for a time.
Lorenzo and White spent the next 15 years in a grind, and the company sold on July 9 for in excess of $4,000,000,000, the largest-ever acquisition in the sports industry.
The deal was contingent on several factors, but on Wednesday, Fertitta reportedly had his final day in the office. This is the first event under the control of the new owners, Beverly Hills, Calif, based talent agency WME-IMG.
Co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell sent a letter to each of the fighters, via UFC flyweight Ryan Benoit.
UFC Athletes
Our team’s been honored to represent UFC and work with a number of you on the entertainment side for the past few years. We’ve had a front row seat as both a partner and as a fan to witness your dedication to this sport and UFC’s remarkable work in growing MMA’s popularity and elevating the organization on a global scale.
We couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds for UFC and for all of you. As UFC’s new operating partner, we will be working with Dana and the UFC team to amplify the work that’s already been done by mobilizing all of the sports and entertainment assets we have available to us in our international network.
We look forward to working with you and welcome any ideas and feedback as we begin this new chapter together.
Ari Emmanuel & Patrick Whitesell, Co-CEOs, WME/IMG