Ultimate Fight Club: Who’s In Control Of The UFC Empire?

Published on: 24 November 2023 Last Updated on: 12 September 2024
who owns ufc

The world-famous fighting club has been in the news a lot since the UFC and WWE merged. The UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, acquired the bulk of World Wrestling Entertainment’s stock and combined the two organizations to form TKO.

Under TKO Group Holdings, UFC President Dana White and Chairman & CEO of WWE Vince McMahon have assumed new titles. Vince McMahon holds the position of Executive Chairman of the TKO, while White has assumed the role of CEO of MMA promotion. Remarkably, McMahon now has the ability to veto decisions made about the UFC.

But you might want to get into the details of this. The UFC has had a history of different management. To get into the thick of things, let’s ask, who owns UFC?      

Who Owns The UFC?

Who Owns The UFC?
Image Source: cdn.bloodyelbow.com

According to Dana White, the head of the UFC, he still makes all of the decisions. On paper, though, McMahon now has enormous power. Since they own 51% of TKO shares, the parent company of TKO—Enterprise—retains ownership of the UFC. The remaining shares, or roughly 49%, are held by WWE.

But before we get into all those details, let’s get one thing clear. You know how they fight in the ring. Their precise attacks. The rules of the game. But what does UFC stand for? It is an acronym for Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Here are the ownership roles after the merger:

CEO– Ari Emanuel

President & COO– Mark Shapiro

Executive Chairman of the TKO– Vince McMahon

CEO of MMA promotions under TKO– Dana White    

Vince McMahon is ONE of the best promoters in the pro wrestling business, if not THE best. In 1982, McMahon spent $1 million to purchase the WWE. Over the following forty years, he turned the promotion into a billion-dollar business.

Still, when McMahon’s son expressed interest in purchasing the UFC in the early 2000s, he passed up a great chance. Vince, though, turned down his son’s request. Many people thought McMahon held the opinion that you can’t become a star if you can’t control the result. He felt it was not worth the investment because the UFC is one of the riskiest sports.

The UFC was purchased by UFC President Dana White and the Fertitta Brothers for $2 million in 2001. Endeavor purchased the organization in 2016 for a record-breaking $4 billion. The WWE was valued at $9.3 billion at the time of the merger, while the UFC was valued at $12.1 billion.

Early Days- Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG)

Early Days- Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG)
Image Source: isthislegalthebook.com

In 1993, Art Davie and Rorion Gracie founded the UFC. Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), a pay-per-view company led by Bob Meyrowitz, originally owned the promotion.

The first UFC events were planned and promoted by SEG, but in the late 1990s, the company ran into financial difficulties, which prompted it to look for new investors.

Who Owns UFC: Zuffa LLV Takes Over

Who Owns UFC: Zuffa LLV Takes Over  
Image Source: stories-cdn.essentiallysports.com

Zuffa LLC, a business started by brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and their childhood friend Dana White, purchased the UFC from SEG in 2001. Having experience in the casino industry, the Fertitta brothers saw potential in the floundering company and made a substantial investment in its expansion. Dana White was appointed UFC president, a role he still occupies today.

The Fertitta Era

The Fertitta Era
Image Source: imageio.forbes.com

Zuffa was the owner of the UFC when it saw tremendous expansion and widespread appeal. The company expanded internationally, added fighter safety, and instituted new regulations and weight classes.

The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Spike TV, which debuted in 2005 and introduced the sport to a larger audience, contributed to the UFC’s success.

Who Owns UFC: WME-IMG And The $4 Billion Deal  

Who Owns UFC: WME-IMG And The $4 Billion Deal 
Image Source: vocon.com

The UFC was purchased by WME-IMG, presently known as Endeavor, for an astounding $4 billion in July 2016. Dana White was still the president, but the Fertitta brothers sold the bulk of their stock, keeping a tiny portion of the company.

To increase the UFC’s reach even further, Endeavor, a global agency for sports, entertainment, and talent, brought in additional resources and knowledge.

Key People Behind UFC’s Success  

Key People Behind UFC’s Success 
Image Source: media.bleacherreport.com

Numerous people have contributed significantly to the expansion and prosperity of the UFC:

The brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta made early investments in the UFC, which helped it grow into a multibillion-dollar global sports empire.

Dana White, the long-serving president of the UFC, is in charge of day-to-day management and serving as the organization’s public face.

Since the UFC was acquired in 2016, Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, has contributed to the growth of the organization’s brand and global reach.

Since its founding in 1993, the UFC has advanced significantly. From its early years under SEG to Endeavor and other stakeholders’ ownership today, the organization has expanded into a multibillion-dollar sports franchise.

Undoubtedly, the ownership structure of the UFC will have a big impact on how successful it is in the future as it continues to change.

What Can The UFC Learn From WWE?  

What Can The UFC Learn From WWE? 
Image Source: tennessean.com

Though it is difficult to see the merger having much of an impact on the UFC business, there are undoubtedly some aspects of WWE’s infrastructure that the MMA promotion can take advantage of, most notably event production.

Although the UFC provides an excellent live-event experience in terms of lighting, music, and atmosphere, nothing in sports or entertainment quite compares to WrestleMania’s bells and whistles.

WWE once again exceeded expectations at WrestleMania in Los Angeles earlier this year with an amazing gold set that covered the whole stadium and a huge ramp that led to the ring. A number of the wrestlers on the card had special entrances, and their images rotated on the gold entrance ramp.

Cody Rhodes was accompanied by a breathtaking fireworks display as he descended to the ramp via the below-stage lift. From the rafters, Logan Paul headed toward the entrance ramp. Then there was Roman Reigns, the biggest star in the WWE, who was escorted to the ring by multiple pianists performing his entrance theme just before fireworks erupted overhead.

Although those kinds of entrances haven’t been used by the UFC yet, they might be at the appropriate event.

It is highly likely that the merger will also significantly benefit WWE’s ongoing media rights negotiations for RAW and SmackDown. Two years from now, the UFC’s current contract with ESPN is scheduled to expire.

Can Vince McMahon’s Role Impact WWE?  

Can Vince McMahon’s Role Impact WWE? 
Image Source: wwe.com

Following McMahon’s January return as executive chairman, rumors began to circulate that he was influencing some storylines. McMahon will definitely have clout now that he is confirmed to serve as executive chairman of the new spinoff company. However, McMahon stated to CNBC on Monday that the impact will be “in the weeds, no… on a higher level, yes.” Not able to do that.

He moved away and hasn’t come back to the screen. Despite McMahon’s presence, Triple H led-produced his first WrestleMania this past weekend and kicked off Raw on Monday with a speech about pots and mergers. But it’s unclear how much control McMahon wants over creativity now that his position in the company is assured going forward.

Wrapping Up

“The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as leaders in global sports and entertainment,” Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel said in a statement. We are convinced that we can spur their individual growth and create long-term, sustainable value for shareholders because of their continuous connection to the Endeavor network. We will give more than a billion ardent fans worldwide experiences that are unmatched by combining the UFC and WWE under one roof.

The much-discussed merger between the WWE and UFC was first revealed in April of this year. Paul “Triple H” Levesque will continue to lead creative for WWE, while Dana White will presumably oversee day-to-day operations at the UFC.

If you have thoughts to share or questions to ask about who owns UFC, please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!

Read More About:

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Basketball Game

5 Best Stadiums to Enjoy a Basketball Game

For you to really pause and say… “Wow! What a game!” takes much more than just the performance of the basketball players. The basketball stadium of your choice plays a big part in enhancing the spectator experience. Some stadiums are just so-so and lackluster, some are incredible and some are incredibly stunning. Here, you will see a write-up of 5 best stadiums in Uncle Sam’s country where you can catch a thrilling game of basketball. 1. Carrier Dome In Syracuse It is large, with a sitting capacity of close to 35,000. For that alone, this stadium takes the trophy. Imagine the throngs of people coming out of the stadium when the game is over! And no, you haven't heard everything. You see, when Orange football is happening, the seating capacity is increased to an incredible 49, 262 seats. Opened in 1980, it is amazing to see just how much of a giant this stadium has become. The Carrier Dome is located on 900 Irving Avenue New York 13244. 2. United Center In Chicago Home to the famous Chicago Bulls, the United Center has a sitting capacity of 20,917 for basketball. It was opened in 1994, having cost almost a whopping  300 million dollars. Today, it has the fame of being the biggest basketball stadium by structure size but not by seating capacity. For concerts, this stadium can seat 23,500 people and more than that with the standing room. United center is located on 1901 Madison Street, Chicago. 3. Capital One In Washington This Monumental Sports & Entertainment-owned stadium is home to the Washington Wizards. It has a seating capacity of 20,356 and it was opened back in 1997. This arena has also hosted my high-end basketball events such as the 2005 and 2016 ACC Men Basketball Tournament, NCAA Division 1 men basketball in 1998, 2002 and 2008, and many more basketball and non-basketball events. The video walls and the huge scoreboard screen will be unforgettable for you. Capital One Arena is located on 601 F Street NW in downtown Washington. 4. Rupp Arena In Kentucky There is no better place for you to catch a game of basketball than in a stadium that was named after a coach, Adolph Rupp, who made the University of Kentucky the most winning team in his 42 years as the university basketball coach. The Rupp Arena has a sitting capacity of 23,000, with the lower 10,000 seats being comfortably cushioned. When in the stadium, expect to hear things like how the Wildcats have won about 90% of all the games they played in the stadium, which is actually true. Rupp Arena is located on 430 W Vine Street, Lexington, Kentucky. You can buy Rupp Arena Tickets online. 5. Dean Smith Center - North Carolina Thanks to the humongous Dean Smith Center, the Tar Heels have won accolades for the most attended basketball games in all, except one season. With a seating capacity of 21,750 and the love of basketball that NC has, it is possible to see why. This arena has been home to the Chapel Hill from 1986. Dean Smith Center is located on 300 Skipper Bowles Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Read More: 5 Helpful Tips For Buying A Basketball Hoop BEST GOLF COURSES IN DUBAI NFL Players Kneeling

READ MOREDetails
Over-the-Top

Guide to Over-the-Top Sports Streaming Services

Over-the-top (OTT) media services, to put it simply, are subscription services that are meant to either replace or add on to the traditional TV viewing experience. Unlike TV, they do not require you to subscribe to any cable or satellite bundle, offering you a lot of modularity with which to play around. Consider your average cable or satellite TV subscription, which does not only tend to be pricy but also limited in regards to what it offers. As weird as it might sound, the vast majority of channels that come with a bundle subscription make it worse, not better, as you pay extra for content that you’re not even interested in. What’s the point of paying good money to be able to watch the History Channel when all you’re interested in is CNN Sports? That’s where OTT services come in, allowing you to subscribe to bundles that have been tailored to satisfy the needs of certain people. We’re talking about you, sports fans. There are many advantages to subscribing to an OTT service instead of traditional TV, the first of which is a highly reduced cost. Everything that you can do with cable or satellite you can do through an OTT service, since having the internet is the only requirement to subscribing for one, which opens many windows. There’s a wealth of information out there to be gleaned by the enterprising intellectual, whether related to, say, biology, or, more appropriately, sports. Traditional TV might allow you to watch a (scheduled) sports game, and a commentary might follow soon after, but if you want more specific information, then how are you going to find it? That’s right. Through the internet. OTT services have slowly gained the upper hand over traditional TV, with many people from across the world having eschewed the old for the new. Making room for change is much easier when change brings nothing but benefits. Take messaging, for example. Previously, it was done through SMS services provided by your phone carrier. This meant having to pay for the privilege of letting your nan know which recipe you used to bake those awesome cookies she was impressed with. Now, you can send her the recipe through Whatsapp, a free messaging service that makes use of your internet to communicate instead of SMS credit. How Can OTT Streaming Benefit Me? The main advantage is a highly tailored experience when compared to traditional TV. You don’t have to waste large amounts of money on channels you don’t need. If you’re only interested in watching professional basketball, then you can sign up for a bundle that will provide you with basketball and just basketball. That’s not all. There are several OTT streaming services that offer, for example, bundles for all manner of sports at a fraction of what you would pay for traditional TV. Furthermore, a true advantage sports fans cherish is the possibility of not just watching national sports games, but also those from Europe or Asia. You can also watch OTT services on the go. That means you don’t have to wait until you’re home to watch your favorite sports game. If you’ve just gotten out of work and would like to watch a game you know for a fact you’re going to miss, then all you need to do is to pull out your internet-connected phone and watch it on the way there. Makes public transport so much more pleasant! While traditional TV follows a set schedule, OTT services give you the opportunity of watching wherever you want, at any time. If a match was set up to be broadcast on cable or satellite at 3 PM, then if you miss it, you miss it. Odds are, you aren’t going to be able to watch it unless you pay for additional services that allow you to download the match locally. OTT services aren’t restricted to that. If a sports game took place, then odds are it’s been forever archived by the OTT service, meaning that you can watch it regardless of where you are. 1 AM and you have to go to sleep? Well, your preferred OTT service might have to keep you up on account of the fact that it’s just too tempting not to rewatch your favorite sports game. That’s just a couple of the advantages OTT services offer when compared to traditional TV. Wherever and Whenever An OTT streaming service does not constrain you as much as cable or traditional TV. You pay less, have a higher average broadcast quality, don’t have to stomach uninteresting content if you don’t want to, and you can make use of it whenever. The advantages are manyfold. It’s up to you to determine whether or not it’s the right option for you. One thing is certain, though - OTT sports streaming services are supplanting the traditional ones. Read Also: Top Series To Watch On Netflix 5 Ways to Stream Free Movies and TV Shows on Your Smartphone 0123Putlockers And Servers – Watch Movies Online

READ MOREDetails
Football quiz

Football Quiz and Football Brain Teasers

A lot of sports peoples enjoy taking quizzes and brain teasers on the things they are watching. There are also so many ways of getting answering brain teasers and quizzes on any sports. There are also so many sites that provide football brain teasers and football quiz for different sports on the market. Taking brain teasers and quizzes is crucial for giving you a break as it is something that is completely free. This is why there has been a growing number of free-to-play sports games and football quizzes online, with some websites even dedicating sections of their site to football brain teasers. Whether it’s a football trivia quiz, an image-based brain teaser, or a mix of the two where you need to recall the starting eleven from a historic football match, these novelty sections of football betting websites are massively enjoyable. There’s not an endless list of sites who create and provide their own free-to-play games, but you can find an extensive list of them on Oddschanger’s Quizzes page, where they cover a wide range of football brain teasers for their followers. Football Quiz and Football Brain Teasers: Online games and quizzes : Everybody loves a good pub quiz and online football brain teasers offer an easier way of taking part where you don’t even need to leave the house. Football betting is unsurprisingly one of the UK’s most popular hobbies but for those who bet frequently, it can be refreshing to have a break from it by doing something completely free. These games are an example of this, and they satisfy a large number of football fans and punters alike. Free-to-play bookmaker games : There’s a lot of choice for online sports games on bookmaker websites and apps, with most of them offering a hefty cash prize for the winner. SkyBet Soccer Saturday Super 6 is one of the most in-demand, and the winner could scoop as much as £1million just by correctly predicting the final score of six chosen football fixtures. BetVictor’s Golden Goal is similar, with thousands of pounds given to the one person; who can accurately guess the first goalscorer, minute of the first goal, and final result in a specific match. Other popular free-to-play bookie games include Fantasy Football, where you can take weekly, monthly or seasonal awards based on your team’s success, and Paddy Power Hotshot Jackpot, which offers another weighty cash prize for the player who’s capable of predicting six first goal scorers in six games chosen by the bookmaker. Football teasers have their aim at football supporters that cannot let it go regardless of their location. They always go out of their way to make their matches to work. Takeaway: There is so much on the market when it comes to this football quiz and football teasers. There are sites that provide different teasers daily. You can also have access to football teasers that have been around for the last month. If you want to enjoy these teases, it is advisable to drill into the category that you really like. You will have access to over ten quizzes you like while on your trip to the desired destination. Football quiz games are very popular nowadays. There a lot of sites that have these teasers and they cover footballing activities all over the world. When you take these quizzes, it is possible to get awards seasonally, weekly, or monthly based on the success of your choices. It is not a must to go to the pub or be at home to play these quizzes. All you need to do is to be at any place and you can access the internet and you can enjoy these quizzes. You will end up knowing so much in the football world and historical winners. Information is king in the football world. Read Also : Football Fans Now Have Their Own Social Network What to Do When You Feel That You are Getting Forgetful About Time Pittsburgh Sportsbook Is Now Available At Parx Casino In Bensalem, PA

READ MOREDetails