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Associated Press

The UFC has been sold for approximately US$4 billion to a group led by Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG.
UFC President Dana White confirmed the sale of the mixed martial arts promotional company in text messages to The Associated Press on Sunday night.
WME co-CEO Ari Emanuel also announced the sale early on Monday in an internal company email that included SNTV – a joint venture between The Associated Press and IMG.
“We’ve been honoured to have UFC and a number of its athletes as clients and couldn’t be happier to take our relationship to this next level as the organization’s owner and operating partner,” Emanuel said.

White will stay on to run the UFC, which has grown from a money-losing promotion in a minor sport into a global entertainment brand.
UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta have tapped out of the company after nearly 16 years, although they’ll retain a minority interest. The Abu Dhabi government still owns 10 per cent of the UFC as well.
Brock Lesnar beats Mark Hunt as Amanda Nunes stuns Miesha Tate for title at UFC 200
The New York Times first reported the completion of the long rumored deal. It has financial backing from private equity firms Silver Lake Partners, which owns WME-IMG, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, along with the investment firm of billionaire Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computers.
“UFC has experienced tremendous growth over the last decade and we are looking forward to helping the organisation and its athletes identify new opportunities to develop and further establish their global footprint,” Emanuel said.

The UFC was founded in 1993 as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, staging violent fights that were banned or unregulated in many areas.
The Fertitta brothers and White, their high school friend, purchased the promotion for US$2 million in 2001.
With White as the promotional face and Lorenzo Fertitta as chairman, the Las Vegas-based UFC was kept afloat by the Fertittas’ casino fortune while the sport once labelled by John McCain as “human cockfighting” gradually gained widespread acceptance and popularity.
The UFC used cable television and the internet to get their intriguing product in front of young fans, and they also sought legitimacy by welcoming regulation by athletic commissions. New York finally lifted their ban on MMA earlier this year, putting the sport in all 50 states.
WATCH THIS: Hong Kong-based fighter Alberto Mina makes a big impression on Las Vegas in UFC Fight Night 90
After helping Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz become stars who straddled the line between sports and entertainment, the promotion now boasts a stable of elite athletes with mainstream fame, including Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, who is represented by WME.
Although the UFC has received occasional criticism from fighters for its pay scale, their ability to control talent costs is a major factor in its profitability.

Their position atop MMA also allows it to match the sport’s top fighters against each other consistently, setting it apart from the hopelessly fractured world of boxing.
The UFC’s price tag has drawn gasps since it was first rumoured earlier this year, but the consortium is getting a sports property with a unique niche and ample growth potential.
WME purchased IMG, the sports and event management group, in 2013, and the talent agency has evolved into a multifaceted entertainment company.
The organisation already made moves into niche sports properties last year by buying Professional Bull Riders and forming an e-sports gaming league with Turner Broadcasting.

With more than 500 athletes under contract, the UFC stages roughly 40 events per year and is broadcast in more than 150 countries, reaching 1.1 billion television households.
The promotion has built a large roster of endorsement deals and sponsorships, and their subsidiary ventures include everything from a digital streaming service to more than 100 branded fitness centres.
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The UFC also recently began construction in Las Vegas on a 180,000-square-foot, campus-style corporate headquarters that also will house training and rehabilitation facilities for their fighters.
The UFC appears regularly on Fox under its seven-year broadcast deal, which ends in 2018. The next contract is expected to be extraordinarily lucrative.
On Saturday night, the promotion staged the landmark UFC 200 show in their hometown. The event drew 18,202 fans to T-Mobile Arena and took in US$10.8 million in ticket sales, both Nevada records for the company.


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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Knockout price: MMA giant UFC sold to WME-IMG group for US$4 billion, says president Dana White

UFC President Dana White looks on as Brock Lesnar (left) and Mark Hunt face off ahead of UFC 200. Photo: AFP

epa05026054 Holly Holm strikes defending champion Ronda Rousey (left) in the Women's Bantamweight Bout during the UFC 193 Australia event at Etihad stadium in Melbourne, 15 November 2015. EPA/JOE CASTRO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Dana White, center, stands between Nate Diaz, left, and Conor McGregor during a UFC 202 mixed martial arts news conference, Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Las Vegas. Diaz and McGregor are scheduled to fight at UFC 202 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Brock Lesnar punches Mark Hunt (R) during the UFC 200 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rey Del Rio/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Dana White, center, stands between Daniel Cormier, left, and Jon Jones during a UFC 200 mixed martial arts news conference, Wednesday, July 6, 2016, in Las Vegas. Cormier and Jones are scheduled to fight in a light heavyweight championship fight at UFC 200 on Saturday. (AP Photo/John Locher)

'Blessed' Hong Kong-based fighter Alberto Mina triumphs in first UFC bout

Hong Kong-based MMA fighter Alberto Mina dominated his fight against Shinsho Anzai in Macau on Saturday night. Photo: SCMP Pictures


Alberto Mina batters his way to victory in his welterweight bout. Photo: SCMP Pictures

'I will prove I belong in UFC': Alberto Mina determined to show he's an Octagon powerhouse

Alberto Mina unleashes a kick against Shinsho Anzai in their welterweight clash. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Alberto Mina dominates his first - and so far only - UFC fight. 

Brazilian Anderson Silva to replace Jon Jones in UFC 200 bout against Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier (left). Photo: AP

Brock Lesnar beats Mark Hunt as  Amanda Nunes stuns Miesha Tate for title at UFC 200

Mark Hunt (right) and Brock Lesnar. Photo: AFP

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Jose Aldo punches Frankie Edgar during the UFC 200 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rey Del Rio/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Cain Velasquez celebrates his victory over Travis Browne during the UFC 200 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rey Del Rio/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Amanda Nunes celebrates after defeating Miesha Tate during their women's bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 200, Saturday, July 9, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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The sale of the UFC, founded in 1993 as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was also confirmed by WME co-CEO Ari Emanuel
