The ownership of the UFC is reportedly changing hands.On Sunday night, TMZ Sports reported WME/IMG bought the company for around $4 billion. Chris Maathuis of KLAS-TV in Las Vegas confirmed the news.The UFC is expected to confi…
The ownership of the UFC is reportedly changing hands.
On Sunday night, TMZ Sports reported WME/IMG bought the company for around $4 billion. Chris Maathuis of KLAS-TV in Las Vegas confirmed the news.
The UFC is expected to confirm the sale Monday morning, per Maathuis.
According to the New York Times‘ Michael J. de la Merced, WME/IMG will be the main investor along with private equity firms Silver Lake and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and an investment firm belonging to Michael S. Dell.
TMZ reported UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta will step down from his post and retain a minority stake, while Dana White will stay on as president.
Shortly after the news broke, White sent out this tweet:
White described the sale as “very” bittersweet, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. He also told Okamoto mixed martial arts “is going to the next level” with WME/IMG on board.
Rumors of the UFC’s sale have been swirling for months. In May, ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported four or more bidders were vying to make the best offer. Rovell listed WME/IMG, the Blackstone Group, China Media Capital and Dalian Wanda Group among the strongest contenders and noted the asking price was likely to be $3.5 billion to $4 billion.
The sale represents a massive return on the Fertitta brothers’ investment. De la Merced noted they purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2099. Since then, the company and the sport have grown exponentially.
Along with a packed calendar of pay-per-views, the UFC earns millions of dollars from broadcasting and sponsorship rights along with revenue from its on-demand UFC Fight Pass service.
Of course, WME/IMG will have to deal with a few notable issues as the UFC’s owners.
Some fans argue the product has been watered down by the company’s decision to run a higher volume of events than it did years ago. Reebok’s exclusive apparel deal and Conor McGregor’s standoff with the UFC also highlighted problems with fighters’ pay structure.
Any changes WME/IMG plans to make to the product are unlikely to be immediate. The deal between the Fertittas and WME/IMG could take anywhere from six weeks to two months to become official, per TMZ.
Former MMA fighter Dan Quinn reportedly threatened UFC President Dana White ahead of UFC 200, per TMZ Sports.
TMZ talked to sources who said Quinn allegedly intends to show up to Saturday’s pay-per-view event to confront and shoot White. The sources ci…
Former MMA fighter Dan Quinn reportedly threatened UFC President Dana White ahead of UFC 200, per TMZ Sports.
TMZ talked to sources who said Quinn allegedly intends to show up to Saturday’s pay-per-view event to confront and shoot White. The sources cited “unresolved bad blood” between Quinn and White as the motivation behind the threats.
This may not be the first time the 49-year-old has threatened White. In May 2012, TMZ Sports posted a voicemail message, supposedly from Quinn, in which he allegedly said he’d “shoot [Dana] right in the head.”
Quinn denied sending the message.
Quinn fought 13 times as a professional but never appeared in the UFC. He finished 5-7-1 in his career; his last fight was a technical-knockout defeat to Rick Vardell in November 2010.
Whether he wins or loses at UFC 200, Brock Lesnar will be well compensated for his participation.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Lesnar will earn a $2.5 million purse Saturday night.
More to follow.Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Whether he wins or loses at UFC 200, Brock Lesnar will be well compensated for his participation.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Lesnar will earn a $2.5 million purse Saturday night.
Jon Jones’ removal from the card will cast a big shadow over UFC 200, but the event still promises to be one of the biggest of the year.
UFC announced late Wednesday night that Jones wouldn’t be fighting Daniel Cormier on Saturday after the United Stat…
Jon Jones’ removal from the card will cast a big shadow over UFC 200, but the event still promises to be one of the biggest of the year.
UFC announced late Wednesday night that Jones wouldn’t be fighting Daniel Cormier on Saturday after the United States Anti-Doping Agency flagged a potential violation for one of Jones’ samples.
The company then confirmed late Thursday night Anderson Silva would be taking Jones’ place. According to Dave Sholler, UFC’s vice president of media relations, Cormier vs. Silva will be the third fight on the main card.
Even with Jones vs. Cormier 2 no longer a possibility, UFC fans will have more than enough to keep them glued to their seats Saturday night.
Here’s a look at the full card, followed by predictions for the four main-draw fights.
UFC 200 Card
UFC 200 Main Card Predictions
Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne
The odds for this fight illustrate the gulf between Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne. Velasquez is the stronger fighter, and he should prove as much Saturday.
Hunger and desperation could combine to bring out the best in Browne. At 33 years old, this fight may be his last shot at proving he’s worthy of getting a heavyweight title shot down the road.
“This is my championship fight,” he said, per MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway. “I feel like he’s the toughest matchup for me in the division. So yes, I believe I get a shot after this one.”
And perhaps Velasquez’s decline is more pronounced than anybody knew, and his injury history is now too significant to overcome.
Still, Velasquez should have enough left in the tank to finish off Browne, who will struggle to deal with his opponent’s movement around the Octagon. Velasquez will be able to stay just out of Browne’s reach in the first two rounds and then finish off the fight in the third.
Prediction: Velasquez wins via Round 3 TKO
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Thirteen seconds doesn’t erase all of the good work Jose Aldo had done prior to his knockout at the hands of ConorMcGregor. That loss proved absolutely nothing against the 29-year-old Brazilian.
It would’ve been one thing if McGregor had completely outclassed Aldo over multiple rounds en route to a win. Instead, McGregor caught Aldo flush with one punch, and that was all she wrote. Beyond solidifying for some that Aldo has a weak chin, the fight didn’t demonstrate he’s clearly a worse fighter than he was after beating Chad Mendes in October 2014.
One question, though, is Aldo’s mindset. As Frankie Edgar argued, his opponent could be carrying some mental scars, per FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin:
It has to mess with you. Close losses mess with you, never mind getting knocked out with one punch. Especially to a guy like Conor, who is going to relish in it the way he does and talk about it the way he does, no one’s better than him with that. I don’t want to say it was embarrassing because it can happen to anybody, but for Aldo, I think it was a little embarrassing. To be on top for so long and then have it happen like that to that guy. That’s definitely got to mess with him.
Aldo could be his own worst enemy.
As long as he’s focused on the task at hand, Aldo should come away with the victory. He’s a superior fighter to Edgar, and he’s equipped to fend off Edgar’s takedown attempts. In the event this fight comes down to striking, Aldo gets the edge.
Prediction: Aldo wins via unanimous decision
Daniel Cormier vs. Anderson Silva
Silva is one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts history, but time waits for no man. In his last four bouts, he’s lost twice to Chris Weidman, fell to Michael Bisping and had his victory against Nick Diaz wiped out.
Cormier, on the other hand, is much closer to the prime of his career. Jones is the only guy to beat him in his professional MMA career.
The short preparation time could be an equalizer. Cormier has spent months planning to fight Jones, and just two days before UFC 200, he has to turn around and start prepping for Silva, who is a far different stylistic fighter.
Cormier is far too smart to get himself in a tricky situation, though. He’ll respect Silva’s ability, even if Spider’s last win came in 2012.
While it would be great to see Silva pull off the upset, the light heavyweight champion is too good and too strong.
Even at 42 years old, Hunt still has impressive knockout power. Both of his wins against Frank Mir and Antonio Silva were over in the first round.
In that sense, this matchup creates major problems for Lesnar. Even in his prime, he didn’t absorb strikes well. Velasquez and Alistair Overeem put Lesnar to the sword with blows to his head and body.
Lesnar may be fully recovered from diverticulitis, but he’s a 38-year-old whose last MMA bout was in 2011. It’s fair to wonder how he’ll react if Hunt can land a significant strike or two early in the fight.
Of course, the longer the fight goes on, the better off Lesnar will be. Those who have followed his recent exploits in WWE know his conditioning isn’t an issue. In the later rounds, Lesnar should be able to secure a high enough volume of takedowns to impress the judges.
As long as he can keep Hunt at Bay in the first and second rounds, Lesnar will earn a hard-fought victory.
Prediction: Lesnar wins via unanimous decision
Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
This fight has the biggest chance to provide an upset at UFC 200.
Amanda Nunes is a good striker, with nine of her 12 wins coming via knockout. Bleacher Report’s Nathan McCarter argued why that could be troublesome for Miesha Tate:
The champion has been rocked and finished with strikes in the past. She is a tough woman, but it is not as if we have never seen her laid out on the canvas before. Nunes has the type of raw power to land crushing blows. Tate will need to be more cautious than normal.
Nunes is also not as tactical as [Holly] Holm. Nunes has a blistering aggression to her striking that Tate will need to combat. She can compete on the feet, but she needs to have a tightened-up defensive strategy for this fight.
The fight is similar to Lesnar vs. Hunt. Nunes‘ window for success comes in the first couple of rounds. She looked spent in the third round of her 2014 defeat to Cat Zingano. She has little hope to overcome Tate if the bout reaches the fourth or fifth round.
Unlike Hunt, Nunes‘ aggressive approach will pay off in a big way. Tate will struggle to deal with the early onslaught, and the women’s title will change hands for the third time in less than a year.
Mixed martial arts fighter Ivan Cole was found dead Saturday, per the Dallas Police Department.
CBS Dallas/Fort Worth reported the 25-year-old was playing roulette with a gun prior to his death.
More to follow.Read more MMA news on BleacherReport…
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani spoke out Sunday after he tweeted during UFC 199 on Saturday night that the UFC had pulled his credential and banned him for life.
In an email to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, Helwani offered his side of the story:
…
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani spoke out Sunday after he tweeted during UFC 199 on Saturday night that the UFC had pulled his credential and banned him for life.
In an email to Sports Illustrated‘s Richard Deitsch, Helwani offered his side of the story:
We were escorted out of the arena before yesterday’s main event. In short, I was told I was banned for life from covering UFC events in person because I reported the news that Brock Lesnar was close to signing a deal to fight at UFC 200. Our credentials were physically taken away. That’s the general story. They said I should have had the “professional courtesy” to clear the news with them before reporting the news. I had confirmed it with multiple sources and it ended up being right. They confirmed it on the broadcast around 3 hours after I reported it. This has never happened to any of us. Never even hinted at. I went back to my room. Esther and Casey are the very best at what they do. I would argue the best in all of sports. I’ve been working with them since 2009 and I wish this didn’t happen to them as well.
Helwani added on Twitter that he’ll provide a further explanation Monday.
A number of his colleagues were critical of the UFC on social media in the aftermath of Helwani’s reported ban. The Vertical’s Chris Mannix called for a journalistic boycott:
ESPN’s Rachel Nichols believes the story should concern UFC fans as a whole:
According to Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden, the tactic reportedly used against Helwani is well-known to those who cover the sport:
Snowden also worries about the message the UFC has sent regardless of whether it ever lifts Helwani’s reported ban:
Jon Jones and Chris Weidman were among the fighters who tweeted their support for Helwani:
The organization has yet to provide a detailed explanation for why it had the writer escorted out of the building at UFC 199.
In a statement to the media, UFC spokesman Dave Sholler said Helwani’s version isn’t “wholly accurate” and that his story reporting Lesnar’s return to the UFC wasn’t the sole reason for his removal, per the Los Angeles Times‘ Lance Pugmire.
The ownership of the UFC is reportedly changing hands.