UFC is an American MMA promotion, which puts on mixed martial arts fights all across the globe. If you’re asking “what is UFC?” then we have a guide for that, too!
It is the promotion which famous fighters such as Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar & Ronday Rousey all fought within.
With so many big names involved with UFC like; Dana White, the Fertitta brothers, Zuffa Ltd., Endeavor & WME-IMG, it can become confusing to know who the owners of UFC are!
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Who is the UFC’s Owner?
in 2016, UFC, was sold to a group then known as William Morris Endeavor (WME-IMG) for $4.025 billion. In 2017, WME-IMG renamed itself “Endeavor”, which is what the brand who owns the UFC is currently called. The sale price made it the largest sports acquisition in history (at the time of the sale).
Endeavor is a global brand of entertainment and sports. It has a portfolio of over 800 represented events. The company has a rich history of building sports brands and they bought UFC in order to accelerate the promotion’s global growth.
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.
Ariel Emanuel & Patrick Whiteshell, of WME-IMG
In a UFC press release, UFC President Dana White, had this to say on the UFC’s future relationship with WME-IMG (now called Endeavor):
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.
Dana White
In addition to its sports marketing and global events portfolio WME-IMG also represents a roster of artists, creative types and professional athletes.
Apparently, another company bid $5 billion for UFC at the same time as WME-IMG. However, this offer was turned down, because White and the Fertitta brother believed that WME-IMG had a better vision for the future of UFC.
There’s people who I believe add value. One of the million things I respect about the Fertitta’s, they weren’t just going to let this thing go for the money… They were going to make sure it went to somebody who could actually take it and bring it to the next level.”
Dana White
At the time of the company sale, Endeavor owned 50.1% of UFC. However, just before Endavor decided to IPO, they decided to buy 100% of UFC. They are now the sole owners of the brand.
Doesn’t Dana White own the UFC?
In short, no. Dana White is the President of the UFC, but he is not the owner.
However, Dana White has been involved in running UFC since it’s inception. He is the reason why Zuffa Ltd. acquired UFC from Bob Meyrowitz in 2011 for $2 million. The simple story here is that Dana heard that Bob was looking to sell the UFC and so Dana called his childhood buddy, Lorenzo Fertitta, to ask him if he was interested in buying the company.
Lorenzo, and his brother Frank, agreed to buy UFC. When the brothers bought the company, they instated Dana White as the President of the promotion.
Dana White has been instrumental in growing UFC into the global brand which it is today. However, he does not own the company. At the time of the company’s sale to WME-IMG in 2016, White owned 9% of UFC.
Do The Fertitta brothers own UFC?
The Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo & Frank, are a huge part of why the UFC has seen such massive growth since the early 2000’s. bought the company in 2001 and invested a considerable amount of money and faith in the promotion. If they had not made this investment, the UFC as we know it may never have existed.
When the Fertitta brothers made an offer to buy the UFC, their attorneys thought they were crazy
Were it not for the work of the UFC (White and the Fertitta brothers) MMA may never have received widespread acceptance in America.
I had my attorneys tell me that I was crazy because I wasn’t buying anything. I was paying $2 million and they were saying ‘What are you getting?
Lorenzo Fertitta to Fighter’s Only magazine
Lorenzo was a former member of of the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission), which played a massive part in getting UFC sanctioned in Nevada in 2001.
Following Zuffa’s purchase of UFC, the company steadily rose in popularity and it became a global brand.
Eventually, in 2016, Zuffa Ltd. sold UFC to a group led by WME-IMG. At the time, this was the world’s largest sports acquisition. This sale netted the Fertitta brother $1.9 billion each.
Who owns UFC today?
Endeavor Group Holdings own UFC
How much of UFC does Joe Rogan own?
Joe Rogan does not own any part of UFC. He receives a fee for covering UFC fight nights and pay-per-view events, but this amounts to a salary, not ownership.
