Who Owns UFC
Who Owns UFC, The owners of UFC are the people who are responsible for shaping the world of mixed martial arts into what it is today. Their vision and business savvy have made the company into a global sports empire.
In 2001, casino moguls Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased the UFC for $2 million, naming Dana White president of the company and giving him a 9% ownership stake.
Dana White
Dana White is an American businessman who is best known for his role as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a huge part of the company’s success and has a net worth of $500 million. White has been in the MMA business for over 20 years and has seen the sport grow tremendously. The UFC is currently valued at $9-10 billion and its popularity has skyrocketed over the last two decades.
Back in 2001, the MMA world was not yet a mainstream sport. Despite having some of the best fighters in the world, it was not getting much publicity or recognition. In those days, you could only see 3-4 events per year and fans knew very little about the fighters. But when the Fertitta brothers bought the UFC for $2 million, Dana White took on the job of president and it changed everything.
He refocused the promotion, started advertising, returned to cable pay-per-view and made the sport much more cool among sports fans. He was responsible for creating some of the first global MMA stars like Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. This led to huge sell-out crowds at the early UFC events and huge pay-per-view sales.
When the Fertitta brothers sold the UFC in 2016, White was still the president and received 9% ownership of the company. In addition, White has a personal stake in the organization through his management team. His brash personality and constant media presence make him seem like he owns the UFC, but it is not quite that simple. He is in charge of matchmaking, paring combatants, making sponsorship deals, finding venues, cooperating with athletic commissions and other business-related activities within the promotion.
Endeavor Group Holding
Whether it’s sports, entertainment or events, Endeavor Group Holding is home to the world’s most dynamic brands. Its portfolio includes the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), WME-IMG, and New York Fashion Week. Its services include marketing and licensing, event management, and representation of talent and blue-chip corporate clients. Its diversified business model is a key strength in its success and growth.
The company’s revenue increased by more than 40 percent in the first quarter of 2019, and the profit surprised analysts who were expecting a loss. The profit was largely driven by the UFC, which made more than $5 million during the period. Live events and the representation business accounted for only about half of the company’s total revenue, however. Both of these businesses were hurt during the coronavirus pandemic, which led to many Hollywood productions and concerts being canceled or postponed.
Dana White still plays a big role in the UFC as its president and public face, but he doesn’t own the company. Rather, the Endeavor Group owns a majority of the ownership in Zuffa LLC, with the remaining shares being split among Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and MSD Capital.
While the UFC has a large and growing audience, it’s not immune to financial issues. One issue that might hurt the company is its reliance on fighters to help pay for events. Investors have expressed concern that fighters’ revenue share will rise, reducing Endeavor’s bottom line.
Regardless of these concerns, Endeavor remains optimistic about its prospects for an IPO. Its current earnings, which came in ahead of analysts’ expectations, are a strong sign that the company is recovering from its slump during the pandemic.
Zuffa LLC
The UFC is the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. It holds more than 40 live events each year and transmits thousands of hours of broadcast and cable content in more than 40 languages to over 900 million homes around the globe. The company generates billions of dollars in revenue each year.
In 2001, casino moguls Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC for $2 million and established Zuffa LLC as the parent company. They partnered with their childhood friend, Dana White, and named him president of the promotion. White’s leadership has transformed the UFC from a fringe sport to a global sports powerhouse. He has brought the UFC into the mainstream, while maintaining a passion for MMA that drives him to this day.
Aside from his role as president, White also serves as a major influencer of the company’s decisions. He has been instrumental in negotiating deals with sponsors and expanding the company’s reach to new markets. He has also been a vocal critic of some of the rules and guidelines that are imposed on the fighters.
In 2016, the company was sold to a group led by WME-IMG for $4 billion. The deal was one of the largest ever in the history of sports. WME-IMG is now known as Endeavor Group and continues to own the majority of the UFC. Other shareholders include investment firms Silver Lake Partners, KKR & Company, and MSD Capital.
During the UFC’s time under the Zuffa banner, the company was plagued by several lawsuits from current and former fighters. The Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP is currently serving as Co-Lead Counsel in an antitrust class action lawsuit against the company on behalf of a number of fighters. The suit alleges that Zuffa illegally maintained monopoly power over the market for MMA promotions and suppressed fighters’ compensation.
Silver Lake Partners
UFC has grown tremendously since its inception as a controversial and risky combat sports spectacle. Today, it has a global audience and is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. The company’s new owners have taken it to the next level with an aggressive acquisition strategy and strategic partnerships. However, there are still challenges ahead for the organization.
The purchase of the UFC by WME | IMG was financed by Silver Lake Partners, KKR and MSD Capital, according to sources familiar with the matter. The financing package includes a $1.3 billion, seven-year covenant-lite term loan B and $500 million of unsecured notes. The deal is expected to close this month.
Silver Lake, which led the merger of WME and IMG nearly three years ago, has long pushed portfolio companies to grow through acquisitions. The firm also has invested in semiconductor company Avago, which was acquired by Broadcom for $37 billion in 2015. Its investment in Avago helped the company achieve record revenue growth in 2014 and 2015 and increase its market share.
In addition to the UFC, the Menlo Park-based private equity firm is investing in entertainment and sports businesses. Its investments include the PBR Built Ford Tough Series, which broke several event attendance records this year and boosted television viewership. Its stake in UFC is part of an effort to diversify its owned event portfolio and content offerings.
While the UFC is currently majority-owned by Endeavor Group Holding, it was once owned by Zuffa LLC, the Fertitta brothers’ ownership consortium. The Fertittas sold their majority interest in the company for $4 billion in 2016. The remainder of the ownership is split among several investors, including MSD Capital and KKR Cage Fund I LP (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts). These investment firms will help the UFC reach new heights as it expands its presence globally while continuing to build support for MMA.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, or KKR, is a New York-based investment firm that specializes in alternative asset classes including private equity and real estate. The firm has offices in more than 16 countries across four continents. It also provides capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR has more than $37.5 billion in private equity assets and $13.3 billion in credit assets under management through privately managed funds and separately managed accounts.
The company was founded in 1976 by Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts. They discussed their plans for the firm over dinner at Joe and Rose Restaurant in New York City. At the time, they worked at Bear Stearns, an equity trading house. KKR began with the idea of buying family-owned businesses that were struggling with succession issues.
Since its founding, the firm has grown significantly. It has over 40 investment funds, with 117 portfolio companies generating $238 billion in annual revenues. The firm has a diversified platform and invests in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, energy, technology, and financial services. KKR also offers a broad range of private equity, growth equity, infrastructure, and global impact investment funds.
The ownership distribution of the UFC is not completely clear at this point, but it is known that Endeavor Group Holding owns a 50.1% majority share of the company. The rest of the shares are divided among Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and MSD Capital through Zuffa, LLC. Dana White has no direct ownership stake in the company, but he does play an important role as the president of the UFC. This position gives him the opportunity to build support for MMA within mainstream sports.