2019 might be the year fans can purchase shares of UFC’s parent company Endeavor.
UFC’s notoriously private financial records may become public in 2019.
That is because parent company Endeavor is reportedly pressing forward with plans to become a publicly traded company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Endeavor will likely file confidential paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) later this year.
The prospect of Endeavor, and as an extension the UFC, going public has been in the conversation ever since Zuffa, LLC sold the company to Endeavor — formerly WME-IMG — for an estimated $4 billion in 2016.
The UFC has always kept its finances close to its chest. Base fighter pay, fight night bonuses, estimated pay-per-view numbers and live event gate revenue have often been made public, but that is about it.
If Endeavor goes public, however, they will be legally required to disclose financial information. Publicly traded companies must disclose financial condition, and operating results, management compensation, according to inc.com. There is no confirmation yet on whether Endeavor will have to report specifically on UFC’s inner financial workings, or if they are only required to report on the company’s overall finances. Stockholders can sure ask though.
If the reports are true, Conor McGregor might just get his share of the UFC after all. Probably not what he had in mind though.