Zuffa’s Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White spoke to the Los Angeles Times to deny rumors that the UFC has been sold. The piece shifts the focus of the reported Zuffa sale to UFC 200.
The exclusive interview secured by the LA Times quotes Fertitta as saying that they will let “everyone know” if something happens. Fertitta did not state whether or not that a sale is imminent or if talks are currently ongoing.
FloCombat reported that the sale of the UFC was happening for the estimated amount of $4.2 billion. Zuffa immediately denied the rumors and even went so far as to send the writer, Jeremy Botter, a letter from their attorneys according to Botter.
White dismissed the reports of Botter and ESPN’s Darren Rovell which claimed that Zuffa was soliciting bids to sell the company.
Payout Perspective:
The article is an obvious vehicle for the company to shift focus away from talk of a potential sale to the annual biggest week for the company. The interview does not touch on (or at least it is not printed) whether or not talks have transpired and if so, how advanced they are at this time. The access probably negated these types of questions. It does talk in vague terms about questions of an acquisition but nothing specific.
A lot of disgruntled fanboys not buying the event so they need to b.s. Them again lol