How much is the UFC worth? Dana White reveals its estimated value

The UFC had a monster 2020 and the net worth of the company increased drastically.

According to UFC president, Dana White, who spoke to TSN's Aaron Bronsteter, the promotion is now worth 9-10 billion dollars.

Dana White tells Aaron Bronsteter that the UFC is probably worth $9B or $10B. #UFC

— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) December 11, 2020

"It's the best year we have ever had. Crazy to say that. We broke just about every record we have except for the live gate, obviously. It was a very challenging year for us, to pull all this stuff off. It was without a doubt the hardest year of my career," White said.

Although the UFC did have to pay for over 26,000 COVID-19 testing - at a cost of around $17 million - the promotion was the first sport back after the initial lockdown and saw increases in ratings and pay-per-view buys, White claims.

How has the UFC's worth compared to years past?

If Dana White is telling the truth and the promotion is worth nearly $10 billion, it has more than doubled since 2016.

Per Dana White, the UFC have conducted roughly 26,300 COVID-19 tests to date with a positivity rate of 0.8%.The cost is in the neighbourhood of $17 million.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 11, 2020

Of course, in 2016, the Fertitta brothers sold the company to WME-IMG for a staggering $4 billion. At the time, it was the most expensive transaction for an organization in sports history. When the sale was made, the new owners said they hoped to continue to grow the sport and they sure did.

"We've been fortunate over the years to represent UFC and a number of its remarkable athletes," WME-IMG co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell said in a statement via ESPN. "It's been exciting to watch the organization's incredible growth over the last decade under the leadership of the Fertitta brothers, Dana White and their dedicated team. We're now committed to pursuing new opportunities for UFC and its talented athletes to ensure the sport's continued growth and success on a global scale."

What is even more crazy is the fact the Fertitta brothers bought the UFC in 2001 for $2 million and many at the time thought they were bold to do so. The promotion was dying, along with the sport, but without the Fertitta brothers and Dana White, the UFC would not be worth $10 billion today.

The champ won't give AN INCH 😳🏆 @Daico_Deiveson prepares for history vs @TheAssassinBaby![ Get the #UFC256 PPV: https://t.co/wLoSy11Otp ] pic.twitter.com/0PLBvDRSPH

— UFC (@ufc) December 11, 2020

The UFC still has two more events in 2020 as UFC 256 goes down on December 12 and UFC Vegas 17 goes down on Dec. 19.