After weeks of rumors and speculation, the UFC has reportedly been sold for a whole lot of money.
Last month, ESPN's Darren Rovell reported "advanced talks" about selling the organization for anywhere between $3.5 billion and $4 billion. UFC president Dana White quickly shut down the rumors. "The UFC is not for sale,” White told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "The ESPN story is overblown. Darren Rovell is not a fan of facts. His facts could not be further off."
The following day, White appeared on The Dan Patrick Show to once again to deny Rovell's report while leaving the door open to the possibility of a sale. "We're not up for sale," Dana told Patrick. "We're always working on deals and our expansion globally. I've been saying since this thing came out, no, we're not for sale, but let me tell you what. If somebody shows up with $4 billion, we can talk. We can definitely talk."
Back in 2001, Zuffa LLC—which includes Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, as well as minority owner White—bought the UFC for $2 billion. Say what you will about Dana, but he has been instrumental in building up the brand to what it is today, which begs the question: will he continue to work for the UFC after the company is sold? While this is ultimately the next owners' decision, White may have made up their mind for them. "I don’t know how that would all work out, but I’ll tell you this: the day we decide to sell, I probably don’t want to do this anymore," he told Dan Patrick.
We'll find out if he's true to word soon enough.
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