You may have played EA’s UFC 2 after we gave it a solid 4 stars in March, but you may not know who’s behind the recent $4 billion sale reported by the New York Times on Monday.
It turns out computer magnate Michael Dell has bought a stake in the global sports brand, also known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, after months of speculation over a buyout bid.
MSD Capital, Dell’s investment firm, is a minor financial backer behind the astonishing payout, led by talent agency WME-IMG for the mixed martial arts fighting empire.
WME-IMG already represents one of the brand’s biggest draws, Ronda Rousey.
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The sporting brand offers some serious sponsorship and digital content opportunities, with the headline fights just the tip of the iceberg.
In addition, licensing for the video games, cross-promotional TV deals and the sale of merchandise contributed to $600 million in revenue last year.
Fights are now shown in more than 156 different countries and take place in all 50 US states after the last bans were lifted for the sport earlier this year.
It also comes just after arguably the organisation’s biggest series of fights, U.F.C. 200, concluded in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Dell are continuing to make headlines as the 2015 version of the XPS 13 snagged our best laptop award last year.
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What do you think of Michael Dell’s acquisition? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
