UFC reportedly sold for $4 billion

(Image credit: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

published 11 July 2016

UFC, the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization, has been sold for $4 billion, sources told 8 News Now.

A formal announcement is expected Monday morning. After months of rumors, sources say the papers were signed on Saturday for what will be the largest single deal in sports history. The new owners are the talent agency WME; the sports and entertainment company IMG; and MSD, a private equity group headed by Michael Dell. KKR, a global investment firm, is a strategic partner. Brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who own 80 percent of UFC, will keep a small percentage in the new ownership group, 8 News Now reports. They purchased UFC in 2000 for $2 million.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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