The UFC’s owners Endeavor now have a 100% controlling interest in the organization after buying out the remaining holders.
“On February 16, 2021, Endeavor Operating Company entered into a Transaction Agreement with the Other UFC Holders and certain of their affiliates pursuant to which Endeavor Operating Company will directly or indirectly acquire equity interests in UFC Parent (including warrants of UFC Parent or common equity received by warrant holders from the exercise of warrants of UFC Parent) from the Other UFC Holders (or their affiliates) resulting in Endeavor Operating Company directly or indirectly owning 100% of the equity interests of UFC Parent (the “UFC Buyout”),” an Endeavor Group Holdings prospectus said.
Endeavor previously held a 50.1% stake in the company, which they purchased for $4.3 billion back in 2016, while two other investment groups, Silver Lake and KKR each had a 22.9% slice of the pie.
It’s been reported that some of the former owners will hold stock in Endeavor Group Holdings when it goes public in the near future.
“As challenging a year as 2020 was, it underscored the strength, creativity, and resilience of our people who mobilized time and time again in the face of overwhelming odds,” Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel stated. “We made difficult decisions but worked as a team to find creative solutions and best position the business for the future.
“As the global pandemic unfolded, we developed the protocols necessary to help our businesses safely restart operations, providing a model for other professional sports, events, and programs. UFC and PBR were two of the first sports organizations to responsibly return last spring, and we followed in the summer by hosting the WNBA’s season at IMG Academy. In the fall, we brought New York Fashion Week to life, becoming one of the first major events to resume in New York City.
“We believe being a public company will enable us to accelerate this mission and further the vision we set out in 1995 to build a company for where the world was headed.”
According to the prospectus, Endeavor, who have now also welcomed Elon Musk into their board of directors, raised $1.7 million to fund their latest UFC buyout by selling shares to a pre-selected investor group.
