Getty UFC president Dana White
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Dana White, the current president of the UFC, said this week that he would be interested in owning an NFL franchise and he’d want his old buddy Lorenzo Fertitta to partner up with him.
“He’ll be an incredible owner. The Fertitta’s own casinos, they’re incredible owners. They owned the UFC, they were incredible owners. They will be amazing NFL owners,” White told TMZ. “He is absolutely, positively going to be an NFL owner someday,” he added before saying he’d be “very interested” in joining that investment group.
White, along with the Fertitta brothers — Frank and Lorenzo — sold their interest in UFC in 2016 to William Morris Endeavor for a then-record $4 billion. The Fertitta brothers bought UFC for just $2 million in 2001.
White reportedly owned 9% of the company at the time of the sale, bringing his a nice little chunk of change. He is still in his role as the president of the UFC.
“People have been doubting us since the day we bought this company, doubting our ability to be able to do what we said we could do, doubting the sport, doubting the athletes,” White said at the time of the sale. “Now it all starts again.”
But with the price owning an NFL so astronomical, White would need the help of the Fertittas’ to even get into the conversation. Add to the equation that it’s not often a franchise even comes up for purchase because they’re such money making machines.
The last team to sell was the Carolina Panthers in May of 2018. David Tepper, a hedge fund maven, bought the team for a record $2.2 billion.
Long story short, NFL ownership is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world.
“I’m very interested (in partnering with them),” he said. “I predict the Fertitta brothers will own an NFL team and me and the Fertitta brothers will be in business again someday.”
White’s comments don’t come long after Lorenzo Fertitta was cornered by TMZ and asked the same questions.
“Always wanted to do that,” Fertitta said. “Right now, there’s no opportunities.”
The Oakland Raiders are moving to Las Vegas soon, so White can get his fix during fight week in the Black Hole — at least until he snags a spot in an owner’s box.
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