The UFC’s owners are nearing a deal to grab just over $1 billion in investments.
According to an article from The Wrap, WME-IMG is nearing completion of a deal which will see them receive $1.1 billion in investments from the Canadian Pension Plan, plus a Singaporean wealth fund. The Canada Pension Plan board announced earlier in the week that they invested $400 million of equity, making for 8% minority interest. This will see the UFC’s owners up their value from $5.5 billion to an estimated $6.3 billion.
Where does the UFC factor into this equation? Here’s a quick blurb on that from The Wrap’s column:
Silver Lake said in the letter that the investment will make it possible to buy out minority partners in UFC and to allow some WME-IMG senior management employees and investors to take cash out as well as fund further acquisitions.
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Government of Singapore Investment Fund are limited partners of Silver Lake. The latter has previously invested $750 million in WME-IMG in two rounds, once in 2012 and again in 2014.
WME-IMG acquired the UFC for $4 billion last year, and several high-profile celebrities have since purchased minor stakes in the promotion.
This $1.1 billion infusion is expected to be finalized by mid-August.