UFC denies sale on memo to employees, hints at legal action against media

Once again, the UFC has denied that they’ve sold the company.

After months of rumors and mumblings, it was reported on Monday night that the UFC has accepted a bid of $4.2 billion to sell the company. Officials have since publicly gone on record to deny the news of any sale, and they have also sent an internal memo about it as well.

The email sent to all UFC employees has been obtained by MMA Junkie, and it also hinted at possibly taking legal action against media outlets.

“A report today by FloCombat.com indicating that the company has been sold is false. This follows other false speculation in the press recently.”

“Such misrepresentation of facts in the media negatively impacts our business, staff members and athletes. We have instructed our attorneys to investigate and take all appropriate legal actions against the parties publishing and contributing to these false stories.”

“With International Fight Week and the historic UFC 200 rapidly approaching, we look forward to once again delivering a series of events that our fans won’t soon forget. We appreciate your hard work, diligence and commitment, and thank you for your focus as we continue to take the sport to new heights.”

For what it’s worth, in the past, the UFC has also publicly denied correct reports that broke before they wanted to announce it themselves. With news as massive as this, one may think it’s possible they’re now doing the same as they complete and finalize all their plans.

It is also interesting to note that the UFC has denied that it has been “sold”, while the report just states that the company has accepted the bid.

According to the original report, the sale is planned to be for the entire company, but with Dana White staying on with a similar role.

If this indeed pushes through, the UFC’s sale would be the biggest ever in sports. In comparison, the $4.2 billion number for the UFC would be more than double the selling price of massive sports franchises like the LA Clippers ($2B in 2014), LA Dodgers ($2B in 2012), and Manchester United ($1.47B in 2005).

Once again, the UFC has denied that they’ve sold the company.

After months of rumors and mumblings, it was reported on Monday night that the UFC has accepted a bid of $4.2 billion to sell the company. Officials have since publicly gone on record to deny the news of any sale, and they have also sent an internal memo about it as well.

The email sent to all UFC employees has been obtained by MMA Junkie, and it also hinted at possibly taking legal action against media outlets.

“A report today by FloCombat.com indicating that the company has been sold is false. This follows other false speculation in the press recently.”

“Such misrepresentation of facts in the media negatively impacts our business, staff members and athletes. We have instructed our attorneys to investigate and take all appropriate legal actions against the parties publishing and contributing to these false stories.”

“With International Fight Week and the historic UFC 200 rapidly approaching, we look forward to once again delivering a series of events that our fans won’t soon forget. We appreciate your hard work, diligence and commitment, and thank you for your focus as we continue to take the sport to new heights.”

For what it’s worth, in the past, the UFC has also publicly denied correct reports that broke before they wanted to announce it themselves. With news as massive as this, one may think it’s possible they’re now doing the same as they complete and finalize all their plans.

It is also interesting to note that the UFC has denied that it has been “sold”, while the report just states that the company has accepted the bid.

According to the original report, the sale is planned to be for the entire company, but with Dana White staying on with a similar role.

If this indeed pushes through, the UFC’s sale would be the biggest ever in sports. In comparison, the $4.2 billion number for the UFC would be more than double the selling price of massive sports franchises like the LA Clippers ($2B in 2014), LA Dodgers ($2B in 2012), and Manchester United ($1.47B in 2005).