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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Dana White Ready To Transition To New Era; Netflix Series Shows UFC Recruiting Process

There are "interesting times" ahead for UFC President Dana White, as he is "staying at the UFC helm to oversee the transition" to new owners WME-IMG, according to Jack Encarnacao of the BOSTON HERALD. White "cashed out" his 9% share ($360M), in exchange for a share of 7% in the new structure, and "signed a deal to stay on as president for five more years." White will have a "heavier weight on his shoulders," with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who have co-owned UFC, "exiting the picture." White, who is filming a documentary series about recruiting regional fighters that recently sold to Netflix, said, "Lorenzo and I divided and conquered. I've got a line out my door a mile long now. Just when I thought I couldn't be any busier, I'm busier." White: "(If) I'm out filming 'Lookin' for a Fight,' Lorenzo would pull the trigger on a ton of stuff." He added, "I knew (the sale) was out there and I knew it was happening, but we'd had so many offers before, and it just never ... when you do a deal that big, so many things go wrong that make the deal not happen, and I thought that was going to be the case." Encarnacao noted White now is "gravitating away from day-to-day pitchman to television producer, a side of the business to which he's long been drawn." When asked about the upcoming Netflix show, White said, "There are going to be two seasons, eight episodes then we'll film another eight episodes, and they'll drop them all at the same time. The (original) idea was to put it on Youtube and so everybody could see it, and I didn't know really where it was going to go." The show tracks White as he and UFC veterans Matt Serra and Din Thomas "scout regional fight circuits around the country" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/15).

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Learfield's Cory Moss, MASN/ESPN's Ben McDonald, and Canelo

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two Big Get interviews. The first is with Learfield's Cory Moss as he talks about his company’s collaboration on EA Sports College Football. Later in the show, we hear from MASN/ESPN baseball analyst Ben McDonald on how he sees the college and professional baseball scene shaking out. SBJ’s Adam Stern shares his thoughts on the upcoming Canelo-Mungia bout on Prime Video and DAZN.

SBJ I Factor: Molly Mazzolini

SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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