UFC owners Endeavor file papers to go public

Endeavor intends to be a publicly traded company this year.

Two months ago, it was reported that talent agency giant Endeavor, the UFC’s majority owners and parent company, were looking at becoming a publicly traded company this year. Now they’re making the necessary moves to do exactly that.

On Thursday, Endeavor filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The price range and number of shares for its Initial Public Offering (IPO) has not yet been determined.

Endeavor, formerly known as WME-IMG, purchased the UFC from Zuffa, LLC for $4 billion back in the summer of 2016. The major question concerning Endeavor going public from an MMA standpoint is, of course, whether or not the UFC’s otherwise historically private financial information could soon be disclosed. Thus far, the answer right now is “we don’t know yet.”

“It isn’t clear if UFC operations would be affected by Endeavor going public,” wrote ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “The promotion has historically been private with its financial numbers, when it comes to revenue and fighter payouts, which could change as part of a publicly traded company.”

And according to Bloody Elbow’s own Paul Gift, it’s still possible that down the line the UFC could also go public itself.

Don’t hold your breath over it, because Dana White has already made his thoughts known about the UFC being publicly traded.