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Abu Dhabi’s entertainment arm takes 10% stake in UFC

Zuffla LLC’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is potentially a billion dollar-plus company, based on reported prior buyout offers of similar amounts. Abu Dhabi’s 10% stake thus, while undisclosed, could be upwards of $100 million. UFC is the largest grossing PPV franchise in history, having beaten its own record in 2009 at $349 million. With seemingly plenty of growth still possible in the U.S., the UFC and Abu Dhabi have their eyes set on international growth — and of course on some MMA action in Abu Dhabi. See the clip (and link) from Yahoo! Sports below for more details.

clipped from sports.yahoo.com Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, announced on Tuesday the completion of a deal in which a 10-percent interest in the company to the Abu Dhabi government-owned Flash Entertainment. Flash Entertainment was formed two years ago by the Abu Dhabi government’s Executive Affairs Authority, which brings big-name entertainment and sporting events to the United Arab Emirates and the city, including big-name concerts, Formula 1 racing, and in recent weeks, a Rihanna New Year’s Eve concert and the Capitala World Tennis Championship. Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is affiliated with Flash Entertainment, is an MMA fanatic who promoted early world submission grappling championship events through the Abu Dhabi Combat Club. He was attending college in the U.S. and saw the first UFC event live in 1993.