Simpson Thacher is representing WME Entertainment and affiliates of Silver Lake Partners in connection with the announced acquisition, together with affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., of Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”). As part of the transaction, certain existing equityholders, including Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta, will retain a minority interest. In addition, MSD Capital, L.P. and MSD Partners, L.P. will provide preferred equity financing. Barclays, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co. and KKR Capital Markets LLC have provided committed debt financing for the transaction. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
UFC is a premium mixed martial arts organization and global sports brand that is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually and UFC programming is broadcast in over 156 countries and territories to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 29 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world.
The Simpson Thacher attorneys working on the transaction include Atif Azher, Dena Acevedo and Andrew Simon-Rooke (M&A); Jen Hobbs and Katherine Chen (Credit); Ken Wallach and Hui Lin (Capital Markets); Dan Webb, Andy Roy and Colin Lloyd (Preferred Financing); Jason Vollbracht and Tanvi Mirani (Tax).