Down For The Count: IFL To Be Acquired By Rival UFC

The Int'l Fight League (IFL) “will be acquired” by rival UFC, according to Barry Janoff of BRANDWEEK. Although financial figures were not disclosed, analysts put the IFL's market value at $1M “at best.” It “also had yet to be revealed how many of the athletes under IFL contract would be signed by UFC and whether current or former IFL marketing partners would seek to align with UFC.” The IFL was founded in ’06 and at one time had such sponsors as Microsoft's Xbox, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco and Warner Home Video, as well as TV deals with FSN and MyNetworkTV. The William Morris Agency, L.A., represented the IFL and its fighters. After an IPO stock offering in late '06, analysts put IFL's value at more than $500M (BRANDWEEK, 7/24).