2. Zuffa Buys the UFC
When Zuffa purchased the struggling Ultimate Fighting Championship from Semaphore Entertainment Group, it was an undeniably important historical moment. SEG was on the verge of collapse; the UFC had been banned from pay-per-view; and frontman Bob Meyrowitz was dumping money into a dying product. Change was a must.
Multi-millionaire casino moguls Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta were convinced by longtime friend Dana White to buy the UFC for $2 million, even though their legal team thought he was out of his mind. The deal went down in January 2001. It was not easy at first, but Lorenzo’s connection to the Nevada Athletic Commission and White’s tireless work ethic and passion for the sport made things happen, and they grew the brand into a billion-dollar operation.
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