Endeavor Reportedly Set To Take Full Ownership Of UFC

Endeavor will soon own 100 percent of the UFC if reports are correct.

Reports from a registration statement reveal that Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who owns 50.1 percent of the UFC, will be taking over the other half. This would complete full ownership. Most of the 49.9 percent has been owned by Silver Lake and KKR investment firms. The deal closed on February 16.

The news may not come as a surprise to some. The New York Post recently reported that pre-pandemic, the UFC made up for 80 percent of Endeavor’s profits.

The success of the UFC has exploded over the years. The promotion reached a massive deal with ESPN, which went into effect in early 2019. Here’s what White said about that deal when speaking to Tony Robbins (h/t MMAJunkie).

“When you think about it we haven’t even scratched the surface yet of how big this thing can be. We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion.

“Obviously this ESPN deal is going to be massive for us, expose us to millions of people just here in the U.S. that haven’t been exposed to the UFC.”