Is UFC publicly traded, and if so, how can you buy the shares?
UFC's parent company, Endeavor Group Holdings, has kicked off its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on 29th April 2021 on the New York Stock Exchange and will be listed under the symbol 'EDR'. The organization is offering 21.3 million shares in a bid to raise $511 million.
If you wish to purchase EDR stock, you will need a brokerage account. For new investors, an online brokerage account is one of the easiest ways to go about it. The other time-tested route is through a stockbroker. That's all you need to start trading on NYSE.
If you're not based in the US, find out which brokers and firms in your country have a license to trade on NYSE, and you can purchase EDR stock. Most multinational banks have these licenses to allow their customers to trade across borders. However, the cross-border trading limit is decided by a country's laws, so you will have to look that up if you wish to invest a large sum of capital.
The EDR stock was priced at $24 at the time of the initial offering. It climbed to a high of $28.47 and hit a low of $23.25 before closing at $25.73 on 29th April 2021.
What does this mean for the future of the UFC?
The UFC is the biggest MMA promotion globally, but it isn't the only large entity owned by Endeavor Group Holdings. The company also owns the Miss Universe competition and the William Morris Agency (WME).
Hollywood mogul Ari Emanuel is the CEO of Endeavor Group Holdings. He tried to take the company public in 2019 but scrapped those plans a day before the shares began trading, citing market volatility.
In 2019, UFC president Dana White said during an interview with Chris Maathuis of 8 News Now that he'd probably be fired if the company ever went public.
It would appear that Dana White has changed his opinion as he proudly announced the public listing of the UFC. It will be interesting to see how this plays out going forward.
If you wish to be a part-owner of the UFC, get a brokerage account and purchase EDR shares. You can then proudly claim to own a stake in the biggest MMA organization in the world, as many of its athletes and fans seem to be doing.