Dana White Says UFC Worth $7 Billion After ESPN Television Contract
According to UFC President Dana White, his company's recent five-year deal with ESPN brought the value of the UFC to $7 billion.
"When you think about it we haven't even scratched the surface yet of how big this thing can be," White said on Tony Robbins' Business Mastery, via MMA Junkie. "We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion."
The ESPN deal agreed to in May will show 30 UFC Fight Night each year, with 10 on television and 20 on the ESPN+ streaming service.
This helped provide a major boost in value for the UFC, which sold to William Morris Endeavor-International Marketing Group for about $4 billion just two years ago. If the numbers provided by White are accurate, this has been an incredible return on investment in a short time.
The president has continued to praise the UFC's growth over the years and was proud of what was accomplished in 2017, calling it the "best year, by a long shot, in the company’s history," per Fernanda Prates and Ken Hathaway of MMA Junkie.
This came in a year without big stars like Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and others competing in UFC events.
With ratings over the summer being among the lowest in its history, however, it will be a challenge for the UFC to keep its value rising.
