Rumors that a UFC sale could be on the cards have been rising to the forefront again this week.
One of the first to return to talk of a potential sale was MMAfighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, who suggested that a deal is close to being struck.
“UFC sale definitely progressing,” Helwani stated on Twitter. “Terms unclear at the moment, but lots of talk from very reliable sources today. Not 100% done, though.”
Another credible journalist, The Wrestling Observer’s Guy Meltzer, also seems to believe that something is afoot, stating on Twitter that, “One of the most important news stories we’ll ever cover may be breaking shortly.”
Considering how long Meltzer has been reporting for that’s a big statement, but he states on his f4wonline.com website that the sale will happen this week.
“The bidding period is expected to end this week, on or around 6/16, regarding a sale that is expected to be in the $4 billion price range for 100 percent ownership of the UFC,” Meltzer wrote.
For the record, a month ago when the UFC sale talk began to gather steam, Dana White publicly stated that it wasn’t true, though he appeared to leave the door open should the right offer come in.
“We’re not up for sale,” White said on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’. “We’re always working on deals and our expansion globally. I’ve been saying since this thing came out, no, we’re not for sale, but let me tell you what. If somebody shows up with $4 billion, we can talk. We can definitely talk.”
There was also some suggestion at the time that perhaps it would only be a partial sale, as happened in 2010 when Flash Entertainment bought a stake in the UFC.
If it is a 100% sale as Meltzer and others have suggested then it would certainly be a huge moment in the sport’s history, but let’s see what happens over the coming days and weeks before jumping to any conclusions.
