Lorenzo Fertitta: The UFC's Secret Weapon (2024)

FAQs

How much did Lorenzo sell the UFC for? ›

In July 2016, Zuffa, LLC and the brothers announced the sale of their shares in UFC for an estimated $4 billion to WME-IMG, a sports and entertainment talent representation firm led by Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.

According to White, the Fertitta brothers, who were the primary shareholders in the company, decided that selling to WME-IMG made more sense because they had a vision for the organization that would see the UFC continue to succeed from now into the future. "There's people who I believe add value.

Frank Joseph Fertitta III (February 24, 1962) is an American businessman. He is the CEO of Station Casinos. He is also a founder of Zuffa LLC, formerly the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

As of 2023, the UFC is owned primarily by Endeavor, an entertainment, sports, and talent group. Endeavor purchased the UFC in 2016 from its previous owners, Zuffa LLC, a company founded by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and Dana White. Dana White and a few other investors also retain a minority stake in the UFC.

On stage at 10X Growth Conference, Dana White shared how he and Lorenzo Fertitta acquired the UFC for $2 million. At the time, Dana was managing Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, who were both employed by the UFC. Then, he got in a huge battle with the old owner of the UFC about Tito's contract.

Conor McGregor, aka Notorious, is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter with the highest career earnings directly from UFC fights, with approximately 25.3 million U.S. dollars. This does not include any undisclosed pay-per-view bonuses or any other bonuses.

White went on to contact his childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, a co-founder of Station Casinos, suggesting he acquire the company. That led to Lorenzo and his older brother Frank to pick up the UFC for $2 million back in 2001, installing Dana White as the company's president. What is UFC?

In January 2001, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank acquired the UFC for $2 million, which subsequently became a subsidiary of Zuffa. White was installed as the company's president. White said that when he and the Fertittas acquired the UFC, all they received was the brand name "UFC" and an old octagon.

With the money for the purchase largely coming from the Fertitta brothers, they received 90 per cent of the UFC's ownership whilst White was given the other 10 per cent.

Sources: Suspended MMA coach James Krause worked with offshore sportsbook. A suspended MMA coach at the center of an ongoing betting scandal in the UFC has acted as an agent for an offshore bookmaking operation for years, multiple sources who placed bets with him told ESPN.

Does Joe Rogan own the UFC? ›

Despite being with the promotion for over two decades, Joe doesn't co-own the UFC. It is indeed true that nobody can predict the future. But so far, Joe seems content with his commentating duties and plans on continuing the same role for the foreseeable future.

The UFC boss showed the courage to take on the responsibility of a failed company and raise it to a multi-billion-dollar empire. As White mentioned, they later sold the company to talent agency WME-IMG in 2016 for $4.025 billion. The agency is now called Endeavor, and it is the current parent company of the UFC.

Mark Wahlberg, an accomplished actor and producer, is also a part-owner of the company. According to reports, Wahlberg holds $45 million-worth of stake in the company, which he acquired in 2016. His involvement with the promotion is not surprising, given his passion for fitness and combat sports.

The UFC has grown tremendously throughout the years. In 2001, UFC was in danger of being wiped out, now it has an estimated value of $9-10 billion. UFC President Dana White, spoke with TSN's Aaron Bronsteter on the growth of the UFC in 2020, despite the pandemic.

World Wrestling Entertainment and the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship have merged to create a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company, they announced Monday. WWE chairman Vince McMahon has sold the company to Endeavor Group Holdings Inc., which will have 51% ownership in the new company.

But it was WME/IMG (Endeavor) who purchased the company for $4billion in July 2016, making it the largest ever sales price for a single sports franchise at the time.

As White mentioned, they later sold the company to talent agency WME-IMG in 2016 for $4.025 billion. The agency is now called Endeavor, and it is the current parent company of the UFC.

“They took my revolutionary concept for the UFC from a relatively small company, invested a lot of money, created this huge marketing wave around it, and are now collecting the benefits of a $4 billion sale.”

Khamzat Chimaev received $205,000 for that bout (as per Total Sportal). He received $75,000 as show money and a win bonus, respectively. Additionally, a $50,000 post-fight bonus. For sponsorship agreements, $5,000 was added to the total.