Dana White denies report that UFC ownership is in talks to sell company
UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta are reportedly in talks to sell their 80 percent stake in the company for close to $4 billion.
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UFC president Dana White made a one sentence comment on Tuesday when asked part of the ownership selling their share of the company: "We are not for sale," according to Yahoo Sports.
Majority owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased their 80 percent stake in the company for $2 million in 2001. They are now reportedly close to earning a hefty profit for their investment as talks are ongoing to sell UFC for upwards of $4 billion, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
White, who currently has a nine percent ownership stake in the company, denied the report and refused to comment further. The Fertitta brothers each have a 40.5 percent ownership stake, according to Yahoo Sports.
According to Rovell, four of the bids come from WME/IMG, China Media Capital, The Blackstone Group and Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese company considered the favorite to purchase UFC. The winning bid is expected to be between $3.5 and 4 billion.
UFC does not release financial information publicly, but reportedly earned between $200-250 million in 2015. Revenues are expected to increase significantly when a new TV deal kicks into gear in 2019.
