With the UFC’s sale made official this weekend, the company and all its fighters are readying for a change in ownership. That doesn’t necessarily mean a change in leadership, though, as Dana White will remain in the president’s role he has held since 2001.
Though his day-to-day responsibilities likely won’t change drastically, White is about to become much, much richer following the sale.
Sources tell ESPN that White’s new deal is for five years and for nine percent of net profits of the company. The deal also gives White the incentive to further grow the business instead of having a locked-in salary. When reached on Tuesday, White declined comment.
Sources confirmed that White owned nine percent of the UFC, which would mean his cash out on the recent $4 billion sale to agency WME-IMG and other partners will be roughly $360 million when the deal closes. It was not immediately known if White is retaining any percentage of the new company.
Yeah, $360 million isn’t a bad chunk of change.
In addition to that cashout, White’s nine-percent stake in the new ownership’s profits projects to earn him around $18 million annually to start, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell. That’s pretty close to Roger Goodell money, as the NFL commish earned (“earned”) an average of $21 million through his first 10 years glad-handing the owners.
White has had to deal with several unexpected bumps in the road with some of the UFC’s biggest stars as of late, but it’s tough to complain about your job anytime you can take home over a quarter of a billion dollars without even changing your day-to-day.
(Via ESPN)
