Hollywood Celebrities, Professional Athletes Among New Investors in UFC

After the sale of the UFC in July for a reported $4 billion to William Morris Endeavor and International Management Group, many in the industry weren’t exactly sure what was going to happen to the brand of the world’s most dominant MMA promotion (live odds).

WME|IMG — joined by Silver Lake Partners, KKR, MSD Capital and MSD Partners — announced early Friday that the ownership group has expanded greatly, including many prominent Hollywood and professional sports figures.

New to the ownership group of the UFC are Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Adam Levine, Anthony Kiedis, Ben Affleck, Calvin Harris, Cam Newton, Conan O’Brien, Flea, Guy Fieri, Jimmy Kimmel, Li Na, LL COOL J, Maria Sharapova, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Bay, Rob Dyrdek, Robert Kraft, Serena Williams, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Brady, Trey Parker, Tyler Perry and Venus Williams.

“Expanding our ownership group to include this caliber of talent and entrepreneurs is a strong indicator of UFC’s fast-growing global presence,” UFC President Dana White said. “Our new investors bring an incredible depth of knowledge and experience to help us continue to elevate this brand and capitalize on its entertainment and sports crossover appeal.”

WME-IMG is a global leader in entertainment, sports and fashion operating in more than 30 countries. Named one of Fortune’s 25 Most Important Private Companies, the company specializes in talent representation and management; brand strategy, activation and licensing; media production, sales and distribution; and event production and management.