White and the Fertitta brothers are the bosses of the UFC
The UFC's sale process is nearing its end and the world's leading MMA organization will soon be in new hands. This is what the North American website “FloSports” guarantees, which stated that Zuffa, the current owner of Ultimate, has agreed to sell shares in the sports league for US$ 4,2 billion (R$ 14 billion at the current price) to a conglomerate formed by four other companies.
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The group is formed by WME-IMG, The Kraft Group (both from the United States), Dalian Wanda Group and Tencent Holdings (Chinese). Also according to “FloSports”, the money from the sale would come from Asian companies, while North American companies would act as “the new face” of UFC in the United States.
The Kraft Group already has extensive experience in the sports industry, as it is the company that owns the NFL's New England Patriots team. Tencent Holdings owns the main internet portal in China, in addition to being the owner of the company that created the game League of Legends.
The negotiation would also involve Dana White remaining in the position of president of the UFC, as well as Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, responsible for combining the fights of the main MMA organization on the planet. According to the website, the sale announcement will take place during the week of the historic UFC 200 event, in mid-July.
Zuffa, a company formed by brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, plus Dana White and an Arab group, has owned the UFC since 2001, when it acquired shares in the MMA organization for US$2 million.
UFC denies sale
Although the likely sale of the UFC has been rumored for months, the organization denied the report made by the North American website. UFC Public Relations Director, Dave Sholler, sent a statement to the “MMA Junkie” website denying the information in the report.
“The 'FloSports' article that indicates that the UFC was sold is false. We have already communicated this to our employees through an internal memo. This misinterpretation of facts in the press has a negative impact on our business, our employees and athletes. We have already instructed our lawyers to investigate and take appropriate legal action against those who publish false stories,” said Sholler.
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