UFC President Dana White Opens Up About the Tremendous Growth of UFC After the Endeavour Deal With WWE – “We Bought It For..”

There is no better man on earth who can talk elaborately about the growth of the UFC than the UFC president, Dana White. He contributed largely to the growth of the promotion. He has worked from the fingers to the bone to build the promotion to its present glory. Now, the UFC is the world’s biggest MMA promotion and has grown more popular over the years. The UFC president has talked about how initially people considered UFC fights barbaric and unacceptable. Over time, the fanbase for the sport grew tremendously. The MMA promotion is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently, the UFC is owned by Zuffa, a completely owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings.

The promotion has contributed a lot to the growth of MMA, and the UFC boss is one of the eminent figures who helped popularize MMA all around the world. The net worth of the company has also grown to an unimaginable level, and White finally disclosed the numbers.

Dana White opens up about the worth of the promotion

Recently, Dana White was talking on The Johnny Drinks Podcast. During the conversation, White detailed the growth of the promotion. He said, “In 2001 we bought it for two million dollars. We sold it for 4.025 billion in 2016 and it was just valued at 12.3 billion last month.” 

Long ago, Dana White was working as the manager for Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. It was then White met Bob Meyrowitz. Meyrowitz was the owner of UFC’s then-parent company. He wanted to sell the promotion, and the UFC president chose to seize the opportunity. He contacted his childhood buddy, Lorenzo Fertitta, and asked him to buy the organization.

READ MORE: After Selling the UFC for $4.025 Billion Dana White Reveals How Much He Hated to Stay Away From the Business: “That’s How Much I Love This”

The deal came to fruition in 2001 for $2 million. Later, the company came under Zuffa, and White took charge as president of the organization. It was his hard work that contributed to the growth of the company over time. In 2016, Zuffa was sold to a consortium of investors led by WME-IMG for $4.025 billion. In 2023, the value of the promotion increased to 12.3 billion, as mentioned by White.

WWE and UFC merger

 In April 2023, WWE was acquired by UFC’s parent company Endeavor for $9.3 billion. The WWE and UFC merger is worth $21 billion. Endeavor took this huge step to form a sports giant. It is not surprising that both WWE and UFC are growing more and more over time. However, the UFC boss ruled out the possibility of a crossover between the two different promotions. According to him, WWE focuses on entertainment, while the UFC gives more importance to real fights.

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