Yesterday afternoon MMA website FloCombat.com reported that Zuffa had agreed to sell the UFC for $4.2 Billion. The offer for 100% of the company was accepted by Zuffa Officials. The winning bid was a group of investors including WME-IMG, the Dalian Wanda Group, The Kraft Group and Tencent Holdings.
UFC Exec Shoots Down UFC Sale Rumor
However, UFC vice-president of public relations Dave Sholler claims those reports are false. Sholler told MMAJunkie, “FloCombat.com’s report indicating that the UFC has been sold is false. We’ve communicated that to our staff members tonight via an internal memo.”
MMAJunkie did obtain the email sent to the employees. It did in fact deny any legitimacy to FloCombat.com’s article and was signed by the co-0wner of the UFC Lorenzo Fertitta.
The email read as follows, “A report today by FloCombat.com indicating that the company has been sold is false. This follows other false speculation in the press recently. Such misrepresentation of facts in the media negatively impacts our business, staff members and athletes.”
It continues, “We have instructed our attorneys to investigate and take all appropriate legal actions against the parties publishing and contributing to these false stories.”
The email continued to go on and talk about how much they look forward to International Fight Week and UFC 200 and the series of events that “our fans won’t soon forget.”
The UFC also thanked their staff for all of their hard work and commitment to the sport of MMA.
Possible Changes
It was reported yesterday that UFC president Dana White would continue to hold his office, while Lorenzo Fertitta would make way for the new heads of the company. The new company would offer White a share, though the exact percentage is unkown. Neither White nor Fertitta were available for a comment.
Fertitta and his brother Frank Fertitta III acquired the UFC from Semaphore Entertainment Group back in 2001. That sale was only for $2 million.
Ever since ESPN first reported that UFC executives were in “advanced talks to sell the company”, rumors of a sale have been circulating the MMA world for month.
However with nothing being confirmed on the record, UFC officials have and will continue to deny that such a deal is in place.
The sale of the UFC obviously will shake up MMA as we know it. However, no deal has officially been accepted.
