Endeavor Reportedly Agrees To Buy Out 100% of UFC

The UFC is set to become a company wholly-owned by Endeavor, according to a new report. ESPN reports that the talent agency is set to buy out the other shareholders and will become the 100% owner of the company.

Endeavor, headed by Ari Emanuel, acquired a majority stake of UFC parent company Zuffa in July of 2016 and currently owns 50.1% of the company. The remainder is split among various entities including private equity firms Silver Lake and KKR, who own about 45.8%, and a group of celebrities including Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Gisele Bündchen and Ben Affleck.

According to the report, Endeavor has agreed to buy out the remaining shares ahead of the company going public. That agreement was reached on February 16th according to an SEC filing. The deal is in place to raise at least $1.75 billion to buy out the remainder of the company and if the money is not raised and Endeavor does not end up going public, the deal will not be completed.

The UFC has declined to comment on the report.