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In 2001,UFC co-founder Art Davie sold the MMA organization for $2 million to Zuffa, LLC. The sports promotion company in turn made a large profit after selling the UFC to WME-IMG. Davie has since been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 and has also attempted to re-create the UFC's success.
The entrepreneur attempted to make waves in the combat sports world when launching XARM, a hybrid MMA and arm wrestling competition. The bouts were unique and grabbed people's attention. However, the company never got close to the success of the UFC.
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Despite XARM's failure, Davie is not one to be laughed at in the world of combat sports.
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From as early as 1998, he has had an involvement in combat sports. That year, the businessman was appointed the vice president of K-1 USA, which was part of the K-1 kickboxing franchise in Japan. The events mainly took place in venues within North America, especially Las Vegas. However, the franchise also offered fans pay-per-view options to watch from home.
Since Davie sold the UFC, the MMA organization has gone from strength to strength and is now valued at around $9-10 billion, according to Dana White.
Did Art Davie really share a room with Donald Trump?
In Art Davie's book, Is This Legal?: The Inside Story of The First UFC From the Man Who Created It, the UFC founder claims to have shared a room with Donald Trump during training at the New York Military Academy.
Trump was only 16 years old at the time and Davie was 15. Art Davie claimed in an interview that the former president was "the big man on campus" at the academy and that everyone knew there was "something special" about the politician.
Watch Davie speak about Donald Trump here (via MMA Today YouTube):
Davie also stated that he's never forgotten being told off by Trump after speaking to a higher-ranking superior in a non-military fashion. It's unknown how close the two businessmen are now, but Trump has often shown support for the UFC and famously attended UFC 264 cageside.
