"It hit me like a ton of bricks" - Dana White revisits being distraught over UFC's $4B sale, Lorenzo Fertitta offers different side of story
Dana White was distraught when the UFC was sold to American holding company WME-IMG for a multi-billion dollar deal. However, Lorenzo Fertitta, the former CEO of the promotion and a close friend of White believes there was also a part of the UFC head honcho that was elated by the deal.
In one of the biggest sports success stories ever, Zuffa LLC owned by the Fertitta Brothers sold the UFC to WME-IMG for $ 4 billion in 2016. Interestingly when White convinced the Fertittas to buy the promotion back in 2001, it was valued at just $2 million.
Seeing as he was the prominent driving force in shaping the UFC into the global spectacle that it is today, the 55-year-old had a hard time coming to terms with the sale.
During an interview with TNT Sports, he said:
"It was horrible, I hated the sale. I didn't want to sell, but the Fertittas were ready to go. I think because I didn't want it, I just didn't think it was going to happen. So I just sort of dismissed it and then it hit me like a ton of bricks when it actually went down."
However, Fertitta has a different perspective about the whole thing. As the billionaire businessman sees it, there was a part of White that was validated by the deal:
"I think in some sense while he was emotionally distraught for many reasons, it was a bit of a validation like, 'Hey, some really smart people just paid us $4.2 for this thing. So I know as he tells this story he was distraught, but there was a side of him too that was like, 'Hey, wow, look what we did."
Catch Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta's comments below:
How much is the Dana White-led UFC worth in 2024?
As per a report by Forbes, UFC is the biggest combat sports promotion in the world in 2024, trumping industry giants such as WWE, AEW, and Matchroom Boxing.
Dana White and Co. managed to rack in a revenue of $1.2 billion in 2023 and the promotion is now valued at $11.3 billion, which is almost nine times more than ONE Championship, the second most valuable MMA promotion.
It looks like the UFC is realizing greater success this year. During a recent interview with Grind City Media, Dana White stated that the promotion's upcoming magnum opus at The Las Vegas Sphere has broken its live gate record. This would mean the event has drawn in a live gate of over $17.7 million.