WME-IMG, in conjunction with Dalian Wanda Group, and China Media Capital have "similar bids" for buying the UFC in the $4.1B range, according to sources cited by Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Sources said that both bidding groups "are still trying to completely finance the buyout, which would be for the entire company." Which company ultimately wins out "might depend on the details of that financing." Sources said that WME co-CEO Ari Emanuel "has been asking well-heeled investors to chip in" $25-50M. Sources said that one of those investors that said yes "was the Kraft Group." The WME-IMG bid with Dalian "also is said to include China's Tencent Holdings, one of the 10 largest internet companies in the world and ESPN's official digital partner in the region." Sources said that although UFC President Dana White last month "denied details of the sale publicly, the UFC forced partners to sign more extensive confidentiality agreements after the leak." White is "expected to be asked to stay in some capacity should a sale go through" (ESPN.com, 6/16).
