The Zuffa Era is over. Done with. Kaput.
After months of rumors and feverish denials, the UFC has officially announced that Zuffa LLC–the ownership group comprised of Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta and Dana White–are officially selling the company for $4 billion USD. The new ownership group is comprised of a number of other companies and hedge funds, led by William Morris Endeavor, a massive talent agency that represents a host of prominent names in the film and music industries, as well as a number of prominent athletes (including Ronda Rousey).
Ronda Rousey is represented by the new UFC owners…which may or may not be legal! Photo by Sherdog.
While there was initially a great deal of chatter that Chinese hedge funds Tencent Holdings and the Dalian Wanda Group were going to be major parts of the new ownership group, it seems as though all the Chinese interests rumored to be a part of the sale did not come though.
So what will change about the UFC? Well, we don’t know quite yet but in the coming months, things should look pretty much exactly the same.
Multiple reports indicate that White will remain aboard with the company, and will retain a partial ownership of the UFC. Earlier reports also indicated that the new owners intend to retain the current crew of decision-makers and, as such the early outlook is that matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, PR head Dave Sholler and executives Lawrence Epstein and Garry Cook will stick around. That said, there is also the possibility of shakeups over the coming months, should the UFC not perform in ways the new ownership group likes.
Dwayne Johnson with new UFC owners Ari Emanuel & Patrick Whitesell – Source FoxNews
Going forward What Happens Next?
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