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Dana White has put forth his take regarding the ongoing rumors of the PFL MMA organization looking to buy Bellator MMA. As of late, there's been widespread speculation that Bellator, which is owned by US-based media conglomerate Paramount Global, could see a change in its ownership.
Earlier this year, veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that Bellator MMA was on the market, with its current owners looking for potential buyers. The Todd Atkins Show recently reported the news that PFL, which is owned by American venture capitalist Donn Davis, is very close to buying Bellator.
During the UFC Vegas 73 post-fight press conference earlier today, UFC president Dana White scoffed at the rumors of PFL purchasing Bellator. Indicating that neither PFL nor Bellator are profitable companies, White stated:
"I'm hearing that they [PFL] are raising money right now, you know, 280 million, 300 million -- I don't know what the number is -- from the Middle East. And I've done a lot of business in the Middle East. Those guys are sharp."
Moreover, Dana White suggested that if PFL is indeed looking to purchase Bellator, it most likely won't end well for them. White said:
"I don't know who in the hell would give them [PFL] 280 million dollars because I'm hearing they're buying Bellator. Right? So, you're an organization that's burning cash, you have no ratings, and selling no tickets. And you're gonna raise 280 million to buy a company that's burning cash, sells no tickets, and does no ratings. Sounds f**king absolutely genius to me."
Watch White discuss the topic at 3:15 in the video below:
Is PFL buying Bellator or will the Dana White-led UFC acquire it?
In a recent edition of The Fight Business podcast, Sherdog's Patrick Auger noted that Bellator's current owners are serious about selling the organization. He indicated that UFC, which is led by the company's president Dana White and owned by Endeavor, is among the potential buyers who could end up acquiring Bellator.
Furthermore, he opined that PFL or One Championship too could purchase Bellator but added that it'd be hard for them to do so. He explained that it's because PFL and One "are backed by private investors" and "are not profitable companies." Auger highlighted that currently, the only profitable large-scale MMA organization other than the UFC is Bellator.
Meanwhile, Ariel Helwani recently addressed the topic on The MMA Hour podcast. As seen in the video below, he explained that there's no truth to the PFL being close to buying Bellator right now. Helwani implied that the PFL did test the waters in regards to buying Bellator earlier this year but they are surely not close to any sort of deal.
He added, however, that there are two other “major players” looking to buy Bellator right now. Helwani hinted that the names of said players are likely to be revealed to the MMA community as we approach 2024.
