100 percent sale of UFC is ‘imminent’

That WME-IMG and Dalian Wanda bid is also believed to include China-based TenCent Holdings, one of the largest internet companies in the world.

Both groups are still looking towards investors to help finance the bids, with the Kraft Group, owner of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution, reportedly backing the WME-IMG bid.

In the last few days, the rumors of the apparent upcoming sale of the Ultimate Fighting Championships has been spreading like wildfire.

Zuffa original purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001. White denied the UFC was for sale during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” last month.

According to a report on ESPN, Kraft is part of a group attempting to buy the UFC in a deal that could top $4 billion. A spokesman declined to comment.

What could this mean for UFC president Dana White? “The UFC is not for sale”, White told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“Obviously, if I’m in the middle of a deal right now, there’s a lot of confidentiality involved in it”, White said at the time. We’re working on growing the company and moving into other territories like China and Japan, Korea.

Brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who collectively own 81 percent of the UFC under a company called Zuffa, would likely be keen to have Robert Kraft as an investor.

When news first broke in May that the UFC was for sale, Dalian Wanda Group was the rumored early front runners to win the war. White and Flash Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi government, also own a percentage.