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Dana White Net Worth Is How Much After Sale Of UFC? [Video]

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 06:14 PST, Jul 11, 2016

UPDATE: Previously it was stated that Dana White’s net worth was currently at $500 million (Celebrity Networth) and the sale of UFC netted him $360 million, which would have put his net worth at around $850 million or more before taxes. However, due to conflicting reports of White’s net worth, it is not really known how much his total net worth is at the moment. The one known fact is that he will get $360 million before taxes for his nine percent share of the sale of UFC, which was sold for $4 billion. The article below has been edited as such. Money Nation reports that White’s net worth is $300.8 million after taxes which is supposedly triple his current net worth according to them. Still, other websites have differing amounts so it’s still up in the air as of now. One thing we also know for certain is that the company that bought UFC, WME-IMG, is for a fact keeping Dana White on as President of UFC – at least for now – from an article by The Advertiser. This article will be updated when it is more clear what White’s total net worth is after the sale of UFC.

According to Celebrity Networth, UFC President Dana White’s net worth was currently $500 million, and his salary is $20 million a year, making him one of the richest CEOs in the country. However there are conflicting reports of White’s current net worth as mentioned above. White owns a nine percent interest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, so his net worth has just gone up substantially after the sale of UFC, which reportedly sold for $4 billion according to the Washington Post.

Celebrity Networth reported in June that two rival Chinese firms were bidding for the UFC company, WME-IMG (along with the Dalian Wanda Group) and China Media, with both companies bidding in the $4.1 billion range. Zuffa LLC, the company White owns with three others, bought the UFC for $2 million in 2001, making the current price paid for UFC a 2000 percent increase from what they paid for it. According to The Washington Post, White has confirmed the sale of UFC to the group WME-IMG for $4 billion.

With a nine percent stake in UFC, White’s net worth will increase by at least $360 million, that much is known! It is not known at this time if White will continue his role as President of UFC after the sale as he has been quiet about the sale of the company until now, and he even denied claims that UFC was up for sale in May. White and co-chief executive of one of the purchasers, Ari Emanuel, confirmed the sale of UFC to ESPN and the Associated Press after news of the transaction broke Sunday night. WME-IMG is owned by Silver Lake Partners, along with a private equity company, KKR, and MSD Capital, which is an investment firm owned by billionaire Michael Dell.

The UFC was also co-owned by Abu Dhabi-based Flash Entertainment, which has a 10 percent interest in the company and the remaining 81 percent of the company was owned by brothers and Station Casino executives, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. The UFC company usually doesn’t release financial statements, but Lorenzo Fertitta claimed that UFC grossed $600 million last year, which means White’s net worth may be even more than what the company made last year. White partnered with the Fertitta brothers to buy the company from Semaphone Entertainment in 2001, and he became president of the UFC at that time.

The following tweet says that White will continue to be President of UFC.

While it’s not known for sure yet if Dana White will continue as the president of UFC, he is expected to retain an ownership stake, and Lorenzo Fertitta will remain as chairman of the company during the transition of ownership, according to The Washington Post. While Dana had denied the UFC was up for sale in May, he told Dan Patrick of the Dan Patrick Show that the company was not for sale, but it might be if the price was right.

“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.”

And that is just what happened. WME-IMG, which has represented UFC and some of the athletes associate with UFC, showed up with the $4 billion and bought the company. WME-IMG co-CEOs Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell gave a joint statement on the UFC website about the sale.

“We’ve been fortunate over the years to represent UFC and a numbers of its remarkable athletes. It’s been exciting to watch the organization’s incredible growth over the last decade under the leadership of the Fertitta brothers, Dana White and their dedicated team.”

Whitesell and Emanuel continued, “We’re now committed to pursuing new opportunities for UFC and its talented athletes to ensure the sport’s continued growth and success on a global scale.”

[Photo by AP Photo/John Locher]

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