UFC President Dana White yesterday denied a rumor that he might be leaving the company, saying he is "not going anywhere," according to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES. White said, "Not only am I not going anywhere, I’m actually making moves in the office and doing (stuff) and changing things for the way I really want it. I’m burrowing myself in like a ... tick." A report last week that WME-IMG raised $1.1B from two international investors to "buy out some of its UFC minority partners stirred some speculation" about White's future. Silver Lake Partners, the private equity firm that owns a majority stake in WME-IMG, did confirm the company will use the $1.1B to "buy out some minority partners." The transaction is "set to close this month." A source said that those being bought out "included banks, investors in the United Arab Emirates, former [UFC] owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and White himself." The source said that "not all will be bought out fully ... but the investment money will allow" WME-IMG to "expand to a majority 51% ownership stake in the UFC." White noted he and WME-IMG co-CEO Ari Emanuel "are partners" and are "getting involved in more (stuff)." White: "We’re not going to spend a lot of money and not change things. I’m making a lot of changes in this new building for things I want changed" (L.A. TIMES, 8/8).
TICKET TO RIDE: The L.A. TIMES' Pugmire cited sources connected to the public sale of tickets to the Aug. 26 Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor fight as saying that as of late last week, 3,000 seats remain, with brokers and ticketing agents "estimating 4,000 more are still available to buy on their secondary market." That is "potentially as many as 7,000 tickets to go less than three weeks before fight night" at T-Mobile Arena. Ticket prices are at "one of the highest price points in sports history" with ringside seats costing $10,000 apiece. The "cheapest ticket offered was $500, with those selling out quickly." The ticket price has "already fueled high live-gate sales that are expected to surpass the fight-record" $72M that Mayweather drew by defeating Manny Pacquiao in '15. As of yesterday afternoon, the "cheapest ticket available on StubHub was $1,800 for the upper level of the arena." White: "We’re over $60 million in ticket sales. Do you know the best year ever for the UFC -- for 44 events -- was $80 million?" (L.A. TIMES, 8/8).
