Dana White Shuts Down Talks Of UFC Tanking Financially After WME-IMG sale
2017 was an interesting year for the UFC. It marked year two under the regime of WME-IMG following the $4.2 billion dollar sale that happened in 2016.
The promotion has been in the headlines for various reasons including the disappointing pay-per-view sales and questions about its ability to create new stars.
Since the sale, the promotion is looking for their next crop of stars since former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar left.
Also, their biggest draw, lightweight champion Conor McGregor, was absent from the Octagon in 2017.
Although many people looking from the outside in believe that a lot of work has to be done for WME-IMG to recoup on its investment, UFC president Dana White is singing a different tune as he went on record by stating that 2017 was a massive success and the business is only flourishing.
“WME-IMG Endeavor bought us for $4 billion, and obviously they need to hit certain numbers for the banks,” White told ESPN. “Right now, I’m spending another $1 million (at UFC’s Las Vegas headquarters) on another wing I want. That’s how bad of a year we’re having.
”(Endeavor CEO) Ari Emanuel wants to buy the building next door and build more s**t. We’re still growing.”
“I think the (2016) sale has everything to do with it,” White continued, speaking to the perception of how the UFC’s business is doing. “Everybody is looking at that $4 billion sale and asking, ‘Did they deliver?’
“F**k yeah, we delivered. We deliver every single year. And still, every year, if you listen to the media, we’re f**ked.”
White brought up the promotion’s involvement in the McGregor-Floyd Mayweather boxing match last August, which saw Mayweather TKO McGregor in the tenth round.
If you add in the money that the UFC received from that fight, it helps with White is saying. According to the UFC President, it would have been a huge year even if that super fight hadn’t happened.
“Who cares if it was a boxing match?” White said. “Do you think we knew Floyd Mayweather was going to fight Conor McGregor in 2017? F**k no. We still had our year lined out, a budget and everything else.
”This is the fight business. You have no f**king idea what’s going to happen. If that fight hadn’t happened, Conor would have fought twice in the UFC and who knows who he would have fought or the fights it would have set up. This s**t doesn’t just happen. We create this s**t.”
The biggest storyline that will be decided in 2018 is where the UFC will air its content. Their contract with FOX is expiring soon, and the promotion is currently in talks with several TV networks about a new broadcasting deal.
“It’s getting more interesting by the minute,” White said. “ESPN buys Fox Sports’ (regional sports networks), which the UFC is perfect for. And you look at Fox, they have a load of cash from the (sale to Disney). You’ve got powerhouses like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube.”
”Who can offer you a better deal than me in combat sports? F**k boxing, MMA, whatever it is. Who can offer a better deal than me? The answer is nobody. This is what we do. Keep doubting us.”
