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Zuffa
TKO Operating Company, LLC (TKO OpCo), doing business as Zuffa (), is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after they purchased it from the Semaphore Entertainment Group. Zuffa was acquired in 2016 by a group led by WME-IMG (later Endeavor) including Silver Lake Partners, KKR, and MSD Capital for the price of $4.025 billion. After the Endeavor deal closed, the Zuffa logo and brand were retired from on-air usage in favor of the UFC brand, but Zuffa was retained as the legal name of the company. In April 2023, Endeavor announced that UFC would merge with the professional wrestling promotion WWE to form TKO Group Holdings, a new public company majority-owned by Endeavor, with Vince McMahon serving as an executive chairman of the new entity and White ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor (company), Endeavor Group Holdings. The largest MMA promotion in the world, the UFC has over List of current UFC fighters, 578 fighters contracted that fight across 11 Weight class, weight divisions (eight men's and three women's). The organization produces events worldwide and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. , it had held List of UFC events, over 700 events. Dana White has been its president since 2001 and CEO since 2023. Under White's stewardship, it has grown into a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise. The UFC was founded by businessman Art Davie and Brazilian martial artist Rorion Gracie, and the UFC 1, first event was held in 1993 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the UFC's early compet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TKO Group Holdings
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is an American media conglomerate created by Endeavor as part of a merger between World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) and Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since the completion of the merger on September 12, 2023, both WWE and UFC operate as subsidiaries under the banner of TKO. The merger marked the first time that WWE has not been solely and primarily majority-controlled by the McMahon family, which founded the company and owned it for over 70 years. This marked the third time that the UFC has changed ownership as its parent company Zuffa had been sold to Endeavor in 2016. Zuffa had previously purchased the UFC from the Semaphore Entertainment Group in 2001. Endeavor chief executive officer (CEO) Ari Emanuel is the CEO of TKO and Mark Shapiro serves as president and chief operating officer. Nick Khan became the president of WWE post-merger and Dana White has since served as CEO of the UFC. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pride Fighting Championships
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts events, broadcast to about 40 countries worldwide.What is Pride? , Official Pride site. Last retrieved December 5, 2006 PRIDE was owned by the Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). For the ten years of its existence, PRIDE was one of the most popular MMA organizations in the world. Pride broadcast its event on Japanese |
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: , and . To accommodate the smaller fighters, WEC's cage was in diameter— smaller than the standard UFC cage. The smaller cage is now used by UFC for selected events. Last champions Before the UFC bought out the WEC in December of 2010, there were 3 weight classes in its final incarnation, which were Bantamweight, Featherweight, and Lightweight. At WEC 53, the last event before the promotion was closed down, there were two title fights between concurrent champion Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, which was for the WEC Lightweight Championship. The second fight was against concurrent champion Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen, to determine the final Bantamweight Champion, and the inaugural UFC B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place throughout Japan and the countries of East Asia. At the same time, in Brazil there was a phenomenon called vale tudo, which became known for unrestricted fights between various styles such as judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, luta livre, Muay Thai and capoeira. An early high-profile mixed bout was Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie, Kimura vs Gracie in 1951. In mid-20th century Hong Kong, rooftop street fighting contests between different martial arts styles gave rise to Bruce Lee's hybrid martial arts style Jeet Kune Do. Another precursor to modern MMA was the 1976 Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, Ali vs. Inoki exhibition bout, fought between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki in Japan, where ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strikeforce (mixed Martial Arts)
Strikeforce was an American mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California that operated from 1985 to 2013. It was headed by CEO Scott Coker. Its live events and competitions have been shown on CBS, debuting on November 7, 2009, and Showtime (TV network), Showtime in the United States. Internationally, Strikeforce events have been broadcast Super Channel (Canada), Super Channel in Canada, Primetime in the United Kingdom, SKY PerfecTV! in Japan, HBO Plus in Brazil, Space (Latin American TV channel), Space in Latin America and the Caribbean, and on the American Forces Network. In early 2011, Strikeforce was purchased by American Ultimate Fighting Championship owner Zuffa, Zuffa LLC, which eventually closed the promotion and brought the remaining fighter contracts into the UFC roster. History Founded as a kickboxing organization, Strikeforce later expanded into mixed martial arts. Its first MMA event, ''Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie'', was held ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lorenzo Fertitta
Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta (born January 3, 1969) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is chairman of Fertitta Capital, director of Red Rock Resorts Inc, and former CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and education Lorenzo and his older brother Frank Fertitta III were raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, after their father, Frank Fertitta Jr., moved there from Texas with his wife Victoria (née Broussard) in 1960. Fertitta Jr. became a dealer at the Stardust Casino before graduating to management positions at the Tropicana, Sahara and Circus Circus casinos. In 1976, after observing that no casinos effectively catered to the city's residents, Fertitta Jr. built The Casino, a 5,000-square-foot establishment on Sahara Blvd. The Casino would be renamed Bingo Palace before it eventually became Palace Station. Fertitta Jr. worked at Station Casinos, a developer and casino operator in the U.S, alongside his sons until retiring in 1993. Until his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dana White
Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Outside of the UFC, he is the owner of Power Slap, a slap fighting promotion he founded in 2022. Meta Platforms elected White to its board of directors in 2025. Early life and education White was born in Manchester, Connecticut, to June and Dana White Sr. on July 28, 1969. He is an Irish American. White spent many of his early years residing in Ware, Massachusetts. White and his sister, Kelly, were raised by their mother and her family for the majority of their childhoods. White's mother was a nurse, and the family moved to Las Vegas when White was in third grade, as Vegas offered higher wages for nurses. White attended Bishop Gorman High School, where he first met Lorenzo Fertitta, although they did not become close friends until yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endeavor (company)
Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (formerly William Morris Endeavor and WME-IMG) is an American holding company for talent and media agencies with its primary offices in Beverly Hills, California. The company was founded in April 2009 after the merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor Talent Agency. Endeavor represents artists in film, television, music, theater, digital media, and publishing. It also represents the NFL and NHL. Endeavor is majority owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) through TKO Group. In collegiate athletics Endeavor- Learfield IMG represents The American, A10, Big 12, Conference USA, Horizon League, MAC, MEAC, OVC, SEC and WCC. The group additionally owns a 20% stake in film and television production company Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content), with the remaining 80% owned by South Korean entertainment and retail company CJ ENM. Endeavor is headed by CEO Ari Emanuel and executiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Fighting Alliance
The World Fighting Alliance (WFA) was a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. History Owned and organized by mixed martial arts, MMA legend and trainer John Lewis (Promoter/Match Maker) and nightclub operator and "Club Rubber" promoter John Huntington (Producer) along with Lawyer Louis Palazzo (Investor), the WFA began promoting events after the Nevada State Athletic Commission began sanctioning mixed martial arts. The Las Vegas-based promotion, unlike its cross-town rival, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, featured a nightclub environment and a slogan of “Where the fight club meets the Night Club”. Its events featured several scantily-clad ring girls between rounds and go-go dancers between fights, and plenty of loud music, including guest performers like Ice-T. However, in an incident at ''Level 3'' which seriously harmed the promotion's reputation, credentialed photographers were ejected by venue security from their areas and were forced to move t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL (2001), XFL American football, football league. McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in business in 1968, and began his tenure in professional wrestling as a commentator for WWE (then called the World Wide Wrestling Federation or WWWF) for most of the 1970s. He bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon, in 1982 and 1980s professional wrestling boom, almost monopolized the industry, which previously operated as separate entities across the United States. This led to the development of the annual event ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Fertitta III
Frank Joseph Fertitta III (February 24, 1962) is an American businessman. He is the CEO of Station Casinos. He is also a founder of Zuffa LLC, formerly the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Education Born to Frank Fertitta Jr. and Victoria (née Broussard) Fertitta, Frank III attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1984, he graduated from the University of Southern California, where he earned a BA/BS degree from the business school. Career History with Station Casinos: *1985: Officer/General Manager *1986: Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer *1989 – July 2000: President *July 1992 – present: Chief Executive Officer Fertitta as owner of the Palms Casino nightclub KAOS lost an $8 million lawsuit in 2022 brought by DJ Kaskade for nonpayment of his two-year performance contract. Philanthropy On October 18, 2012, the University of Southern California announced that Jill and Frank Fertitta had made a majo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
