Zuffa facts for kids
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Trade name
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Zuffa |
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Formerly
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Zuffa, LLC (2001–2023) |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Sports promotion |
| Founded | January 2001 |
| Founders | Frank Fertitta III Lorenzo Fertitta |
| Headquarters |
Las Vegas, Nevada
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United States
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Key people
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Ari Emanuel (co-CEO – Endeavor) Patrick Whitesell (co-CEO – Endeavor) Dana White (president – UFC) |
| Parent | TKO Group Holdings |
| Subsidiaries | Ultimate Fighting Championship (2001) World Fighting Alliance (2006) Pride Fighting Championships (2007) World Extreme Cagefighting (2010) Strikeforce (2013) |
TKO Operating Company, LLC, also known as Zuffa, is an American company that promotes sports, especially mixed martial arts (MMA). It was started in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brothers Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta founded Zuffa to own the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). They bought the UFC from another company called Semaphore Entertainment Group.
Zuffa was bought in 2016 by a group led by WME-IMG (which later became Endeavor). Other companies like Silver Lake Partners and KKR were also part of this group. After this big deal, the Zuffa logo was not used on TV anymore. Instead, the UFC brand was shown. However, Zuffa remained the official legal name of the company.
In April 2023, Endeavor announced that the UFC would join with professional wrestling company WWE. They formed a new public company called TKO Group Holdings. Endeavor owned most of this new company. Vince McMahon became an executive chairman, and Dana White stayed as the UFC president. This merger was completed on September 12, 2023. Zuffa is now a part of TKO. It still holds the copyrights for UFC events.
In June 2025, the "Zuffa" name was used again by TKO. They started a new boxing promotion called Zuffa Boxing with a company called Sela.
Contents
Zuffa's Connections with Other Groups
Working with Flash Entertainment
On January 12, 2010, Zuffa sold a small part of its company to Flash Entertainment. This company is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. Flash Entertainment bought 10 percent of Zuffa. After this sale, Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother Frank Fertitta III each owned 40.5 percent. Flash Entertainment owned 10 percent, and Dana White owned nine percent. Flash Entertainment was created in 2008.
Lawsuit with Ubisoft
In December 2010, Zuffa sued video game publisher Ubisoft. Zuffa said Ubisoft used their trademarked term "Ultimate Fighting" on the packaging of its game, Fighters Uncaged. Zuffa believed this was too similar to the UFC's trademarks. Ubisoft did not comment on the lawsuit. By August 2011, both companies announced they had settled the issue.
Helping the Lone Survivor Foundation
In May 2011, Zuffa held a charity auction. They offered over 100 items to help the Lone Survivor Foundation. All the items were signed by UFC fighters. These included baseball caps, T-shirts, MMA gloves, and DVDs. The items usually sold for $50 to a few thousand dollars.
Supporting Cleveland Clinic Research
In February 2014, Zuffa was one of many sports groups to support a brain trauma study. This study was done by the Cleveland Clinic. Later, in February 2016, Zuffa gave one million dollars to the Ruvo Center. This money helped with their research on brain health.
Zuffa's Sale and Merger
Sale to Endeavor
Around May 2016, there were reports that Zuffa might sell most of its ownership. ESPN reported that four groups were interested in buying it for about $3.5 billion to $4 billion. UFC President Dana White first said the UFC was not for sale. He said Zuffa was focused on growing globally. However, he also mentioned that Zuffa would listen to offers if they reached $4 billion. Despite White's first denial, reports continued that a sale was very close.
Finally, on July 11, Zuffa confirmed the sale. They sold most of their company to a group led by WME-IMG for $4.2 billion. Dana White stayed on as UFC President and received a share in the new business. Flash Entertainment kept its 10 percent share. In 2017, WME-IMG changed its name to Endeavor. In April 2021, Endeavor became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. Endeavor then bought out Zuffa's other owners, making Zuffa fully owned by Endeavor.
Merger with WWE
Starting in 2023, WWE began looking into selling their company. This happened during a time of changes in leadership involving its owner Vince McMahon. In April 2023, Endeavor and WWE announced they would merge. They formed TKO Group Holdings, a new public company. Endeavor owned most of it. McMahon became an executive chairman, and Nick Khan became president of WWE. Dana White remained president of the UFC. The merger was completed on September 12, 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Zuffa para niños
