Dana White doesn’t see any value in buying out Bellator.
Over the last year, rumors have been swirling that Bellator was interviewing potential buyers with the biggest name being the Professional Fighters League. Initially, it was nothing more than pure speculation, but in recent months, reports have been flying that the pair are in final preparations to close a stock-laden deal that would see the PFL absorb Scott Coker’s MMA empire.
Adding fuel to the fire was the announcement that the PFL had sold a minority stake in the promotion to Saudi Arabia’s SRJ Sports Investments for $100 million. The deal also includes plans to expand into the Middle East and North Africa in 2024.
Dana White Slams PFL’s Rumored Acquisition of Bellator
Addressing members of the media following last Tuesday’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC President shared his honest thoughts on the proposed purchase of Bellator and whether or not the Las Vegas-based promotion could find itself as a potential suitor.
“Why on God’s green f*cking earth would anybody buy Bellator? So when we were just talking about business and making the right moves and making right decisions… There’s been lots of bad ones. Bellator would be one of the f*cking bad biggest,” White said. “Why anybody would buy Bellator is beside me. But hey, what do I know? We’ll sit back and see how this plays out. I’m excited.”
Learning that the potential asking price for Bellator is a whopping $500 million, White responded with a fair amount of sarcasm. “Bellator is $500 million dollars? Awesome. Sounds like a steal,” White quipped with a smile. “Sounds like a f*cking steal. Buy that thing quick before who else does? C’mon guys, this is f*cking silly.”
Of course, the UFC is no stranger to buying other mixed martial arts organizations. The promotion famously purchased PRIDE FC and the WEC in the early 2000s, but its biggest acquisition came in 2011 when the UFC acquired Strikeforce for $40 million, leading the way for a plethora of names to enter the Octagon, including Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller, Cung Le, Luke Rockhold, Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, and Dan Henderson.
The UFC allowed Strikeforce to run independently for two years until ultimately absorbing the company and signing some of the promotion’s biggest stars such as Ronda Rousey, Josh Barnett, and Daniel Cormier.