How much did UFC buy Strikeforce for?

UFC on Fox:  Live Heavyweight Championship
UFC on Fox: Live Heavyweight Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, popularly known as the UFC, is arguably the biggest promotion in the sport of mixed martial arts. Over the years, the promotion has seen the rise of many rival promotions. While some of these promotions shut shop, others ended up being purchased by the MMA organization itself.

One major promotion that ended up in the latter category was Strikeforce. Headed by CEO Scott Cooker, Strikeforce garnered a lot of popularity and was home to talented fighters such as Daniel Cormier, Tyron Woodley, and Luke Rockhold to name a few.

Strikeforce's talent mixed with some great fights helped the promotion become a major competitor to the UFC. However, on March 12, 2011, things changed when Zuffa, a former parent company announced the purchase of Strikeforce for a sum of $40 million.

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Even after its purchase, Strikeforce continued running as a promotion. However, significant changes such as the use of elbows and ceasing the promotion of amateur undercard bouts were implemented under Zuffa's reign.

The promotion ran successfully for two more years after which fans saw the final show, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine take place in 2013. Post this event, Zuufa dissolved the contract of some fighters whereas others joined the UFC.

Many fighters who competed in Strikeforce went on to have successful careers in the the new promotion. While Luke Rockhold won the UFC middleweight championship, Daniel Cormier became a two-division champion, winning both the light heavyweight and heavyweight championships.


What is UFC's parent company?

Considered to be the leading promotion in the fastest growing sport in the world, the UFC's parent company is Endeavor. While the promotion was purchased by Zuffa in 2001, the deal with Endeavor took place in 2016.

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In July 2016, Endeavor group purchased a majority stake from the promotion's former parent company Zuffa. While things continued smoothly, the American holding group increased their ownership further as they went on to purchase the remaining shares in 2021 and accquired 100% ownership.

During the initial purchase, many wondered what Dana White's role in the company would be. However, he continued as the president of the promotion and even shared his thoughts on the Endeavor group acquiring 100% of the shares in the promotion. White said:

"It was very, very hard on me, you know. I don't know about the Fertittas. I think, you know, I think they definitely miss it now. But, yeah, it was very, very hard on me but I ended up... you know, it all ended up working out really well for me so... I stayed on and I'm still one of the owners and... yeah so not a bad deal."

Check out Dana White's comments in the video below:

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In 2021, the UFC became a public company when Endeavor Group Holdings launched an initial public offering. Dana White, along with other executives from Endeavor, appeared on the New York Stock Exchange, where the Endeavor stock began trading at $24 per share.

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Edited by Allan Mathew
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