Dana White, president of the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube
The same year that the UFC became part of the list of ten most valuable sports brands in the world It can also mark a big loss for the company. According to the financial consulting company Standard & Poors, Zuffa, the company that owns Ultimate, had its profits reduced by 40% in 2014.
In a report, the company cites some reasons that may have resulted in this drop, such as the cancellation of major fights and the high costs of the organization's international expansion. In 2014, some announced attractions ended up not happening, such as Chris Weidman x Vitor belfort, Cain Velazquez x Fabricio Werdum e Jon Jones x Daniel Cormier, in addition to the postponement of José Aldo x Chad Mendes, which culminated in the cancellation of UFC 176, which would have been in Los Angeles (USA).
In addition, UFC's credit rating could also fall according to the parameters established by S&P. Currently, the company is included in the BB index, the second largest among non-speculative companies, but could be downgraded to BB- if Zuffa's operations do not recover significantly in the first four months of 2015.
Founded in 2001, Zuffa's majority shareholders are brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, with 40,5% each, with the remainder divided between UFC president Dana White (9%) and the company Flash Entertainment (10% ), from Abu Dhabi. Despite the losses, the UFC promises to continue at an intense pace next year, having already revealed a calendar of 45 events for 2015.
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