Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/753186
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES (FERTITTA BROTHERS); BORIS STREUBEL/ZUFFA LLC/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES (MUNOZ); ROBERT LABERGE/ZUFFA LLC/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES (ROUSEY); JEFF BOTTARI/ZUFFA LLC/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES (WHITE) UFC-ing stars! clockwise from top left: It took middleweight Gegard Mousasi less than 5 minutes to fell Mark Munoz in Germany in 2014; Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta won their gamble on UFC; Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White watch on as Ronda Rousey prepares for her big fight; UFC president since 2001, Dana White announced he'd stay on with the superpower after its sale. Excited for UFC 207, Nunes vs. Rousey? So are a slew of celebs, as Twitter can attest. In less than 15 years, Dana White and Station Casino executives Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta turned a $2 million investment in an ailing Ultimate Fighting Championship into the most successful sports venture in recent history. In June, UFC was acquired for $4 billion by a group led by Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG, whose high-powered clients, from UFC enthusi- ast Conan O'Brien to Cam Newton, are now investors in mixed-martial arts' pre- eminent organization. "The opportunities that they are going to create for our athletes are limitless," says UFC COO Lawrence Epstein. "WME-IMG represents the biggest stars in the world of entertain- ment and sports, and their core competency is in building stars." UFC joined a growing portfolio that includes the PGA, Wimbledon, and Professional Bull Riders, and WME-IMG clients such as Tom Brady, Anthony Keidis, and Rob Drydek have been visible at recent UFC events. "These celebrity investors give us the opportunity to reach their fan bases and expand the exposure of our brand on a global scale," says Epstein. "Conan O'Brien has 22 million followers on Twitter alone." UFC's global expansion has long been in the works, with events in twice as many countries for the fourth quarter of this year than in 2015. "As we look forward, we're going to continuously put on great events while looking to expand to new territories like China and Russia," says Epstein. "We've had a plan to expand internation- ally and now we're going to just turbo-charge this thing."December 30, MGM Grand Garden Arena; mgmgrand.com . MIXED MARTIAL METAMORPHOSIS WHAM-BAM GOES GLAM, WITH THE UFC'S NEW ROSTER OF HOLLYWOOD OWNERS. BY MATT KELEMEN 54 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM SCENE SPORTS