UFC owners in advanced talks to sell promotion

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Greek777

Greek777

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The owners of the UFC are in advanced talks to sell the business, sources told ESPN.com.

At least four bidders -- including WME/IMG, China Media Capital, The Blackstone Group and Dalian Wanda Group -- are believed to have submitted bids for the organization. The winning bid, should things proceed, is expected to be for a valuation of in between $3.5 billion and $4 billion, multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN.com.

"As a private company, we don't discuss speculation or rumors related to our business," said David Sholler, vice president of public relations and athlete marketing for the UFC.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has been representing Zuffa LLC, which bought the UFC in 2001 for only $2 million. Sources with knowledge of the numbers presented to potential investors said that Goldman Sachs had represented UFC's last full year earnings in the $200 million to $250 million range, before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. A new television rights deal, which would begin in 2019, could add an additional $250 million in annual revenue to the bottom line, investors were advised.

LINK: Sources: UFC owners in talks to sell promotion
 
PrideRules

PrideRules

Pride Never Die!!!
Oct 20, 2015
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Egg and co got one final blast in the fighters ass with rebock before selling out and laughing all the way to the bank.

Those eggholes will get what they deserve. Life has a funny way of making things right.
 
Ted Williams' head

Ted Williams' head

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Sep 23, 2015
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Bought for 2 million and sold for 3.5 to 4 billion eh?

NOT TOO SHABBY for a couple of mobsters and a wanna be tough guy from Boston.

I have mixed feelings about them selling. Didn't like how they treated fighters, but at the end of the day they worked hard and provided a ton of excitement for MMA fans.

If they sell it to some stuffy bean-counter who doesn't have any passion for MMA, how is the product going to suffer?
 
Wild

Wild

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DannyNL said:
Bought for 2 million and sold for 3.5 to 4 billion eh?

NOT TOO SHABBY for a couple of mobsters and a wanna be tough guy from Boston.

I have mixed feelings about them selling. Didn't like how they treated fighters, but at the end of the day they worked hard and provided a ton of excitement for MMA fans.

If they sell it to some stuffy bean-counter who doesn't have any passion for MMA, how is the product going to suffer?
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I don't know man...that's what concerns me as a fan. Who knows...maybe the Chinese company buys it, introduces pageantry into the production, invests more promotion into the fighters, and takes it to another level. Or maybe it becomes completely corporate and tanks. I hope whoever buys it knows WTF they're doing, or retains enough of the current staff, to continue operating the business effectively.
 
IschKabibble

IschKabibble

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lol @ the legacy they will leave with those goofy ass uniforms. Way to troll the world boys. Or yourselves. I'm still not sure...
 
Ted Williams' head

Ted Williams' head

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Wild said:
I don't know man...that's what concerns me as a fan. Who knows...maybe the Chinese company buys it, introduces pageantry into the production, invests more promotion into the fighters, and takes it to another level. Or maybe it becomes completely corporate and tanks. I hope whoever buys it knows WTF they're doing, or retains enough of the current staff, to continue operating the business effectively.
Click to expand...
For sure, it is a bit troubling to think of.... especially with that Chinese company being an acquisition firm... can't imagine that they have much passion for MMA.
 
easedel

easedel

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Jan 18, 2015
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Been saying this shit the past 3 years, with all the shit rematchs just being used as cash grabs, the quick cash grab with reebok. Fuck em all with a cactus
 
IschKabibble

IschKabibble

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Ryann Von Doom @Ryann Von Doom says:

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BJTT_Kiwi

BJTT_Kiwi

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Jun 25, 2015
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Hey Wild @Wild - the link on your Facebook post to this article doesn't work.
URL finishes in 74/ instead of 73/
 
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PeteyParker

PeteyParker

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Maybe the UFC knows a fighters union or an ali act is coming to MMA, so they wanna sell now while their stock is at it's highest.
 
IschKabibble

IschKabibble

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mysticmac said:
Even though they'll likely hire Dana.
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Doubt it. Dana has been giving off strong retirement vibes for the past few years. I'm sure he's ready to cash out and slow down a bit. Dude has been working his ass off at the highest level of the business world for well over a decade -- with little to no experience. Not to mention he had a chunk of his skull carved out sometime in the process. If Dana's only job in UFC was to be the mouthpiece and fall guy, he did one hell of a job. The next guy has some big shoes to fill.
 
mysticmac

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IschKabibble said:
Doubt it. Dana has been giving off strong retirement vibes for the past few years. I'm sure he's ready to cash out and slow down a bit. Dude has been working his ass off at the highest level of the business world for well over a decade -- with little to no experience. Not to mention he had a chunk of his skull carved out sometime in the process. If Dana's only job in UFC was to be the mouthpiece and fall guy, he did one hell of a job. The next guy has some big shoes to fill.
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I think he cares too much about his baby to just sign it over. I think he'll want to see how it is handled and have some say in his successor. They'll have him continue promotion, mentor someone new, and ween him off it while the new guy ramps up.
 
PrideRules

PrideRules

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IschKabibble said:
Doubt it. Dana has been giving off strong retirement vibes for the past few years. I'm sure he's ready to cash out and slow down a bit. Dude has been working his ass off at the highest level of the business world for well over a decade -- with little to no experience. Not to mention he had a chunk of his skull carved out sometime in the process. If Dana's only job in UFC was to be the mouthpiece and fall guy, he did one hell of a job. The next guy has some big shoes to fill.
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Totally correct. He did his job so well he turned into an egg
 
Yossarian

Yossarian

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PeteyParker said:
Maybe the UFC knows a fighters union or an ali act is coming to MMA, so they wanna sell now while their stock is at it's highest.
Click to expand...
Agree here. It may explain the Reebok deal all together. And some have voiced this when Reebok came about. They've intentionally or unintentionally created a product ready for sale with that. Selling before this unsustainable model falters.
 
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