Did Dana White sell the UFC? Post-merger rumor debunked
Dana White did not sell the UFC. The world's premier MMA promotion is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., an American holding firm for talent and media agencies, under the leadership of its CEO, Ari Emanuel.
Earlier this week, Endeavor officially announced the merger of the UFC with pro-wrestling powerhouse WWE. The two combat sports promotions will operate under the publicly traded company TKO Group Holdings, Inc. Endeavor currently owns 51% of the new company, while WWE shareholders will have 49% of the shares.
Following the merger, it was announced that Dana White is no longer the UFC president but has been appointed as the new CEO of the MMA promotion. White had been serving as the UFC's president since 2001 after Zuffa LLC bought the brand from SEG for $2 million. The Endeavor group purchased the UFC from Zuffa in July 2016, retaining White in his role as president.
Dana White is primarily credited for being responsible for the UFC's meteoric rise and for making the promotion a household name by popularizing MMA as a mainstream sport. While White owns a minority stake in the UFC, he does not own the organization, making it quite impossible for the 54-year-old to sell it.
Dana White CEO: UFC frontman addresses his job title change
Dana White isn't stressing out about becoming the CEO of the UFC. The 54-year-old recently opened up about his new job title as Chief Executive Officer of the UFC and claimed it is a "lateral" move for him.
As mentioned, White has been serving as the MMA promotion's president since 2001. Since then, he's been instrumental in taking the UFC to new heights with every passing year.
After the UFC-WWE merger, many wondered how White's responsibilities would change as CEO. UFC COO Lawrence Epstein previously clarified that there wouldn't be any huge changes in both combat sports promotions at an executive level. He added that White would continue running the day-to-day operations of the UFC.
Dana White recently echoed Epstein's statements and discussed what changes would occur in his professional life after becoming CEO. During a recent press conference, he said:
"I don’t give a s**t about that kind of stuff. Even the CEO thing, it’s a lateral move for me. I run everything that happens here... So nothing has changed, it’s just three letters… I’m the CEO or President of the UFC now. But nothing changes. We’re just going to continue to kick a** like we do every single year."
Catch White's comments below (4:30):