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Ben Affleck, The Weeknd, Guy Fieri, and Jimmy Kimmel All Invested in the Same Company

It turns out celebrities like UFC just as much as everyone else. There are a lot of celebs who are so invested in UFC that they actually invested in it. 23 celebrities including actors like Ben Affleck, put money into the organization. Although their investment is ultimately good for UFC as a whole, it means …
by Alice Stone
Published on
3 min read

It turns out celebrities like UFC just as much as everyone else. There are a lot of celebs who are so invested in UFC that they actually invested in it. 23 celebrities including actors like Ben Affleck, put money into the organization. Although their investment is ultimately good for UFC as a whole, it means the UFC won’t be the same as it was before. Not everyone is happy about that. 

Ben Affleck smiling slightly in front of a dark background
Ben Affleck | Rich Fury/Getty Images

Movie Stars and actors have invested in the UFC

Connor McGregor is upset that so many stars from different walks of life have more of a stake in the UFC than he does. As he put it, “I want what I deserve, what I’ve earned. They’ve got to come talk to me now. I’ve got both belts, a chunk of money and a little family on the way. You want me to stick around and keep doing what I’m doing, let’s talk, but I want ownership now. I want equal share, I want what I deserve – what I’ve earned,” according to Sports Joe.

It’s true that McGregor and his fellow fighters have done more to make the sport popular than the list of actors who now own a greater share in the company than he does. McGregor doesn’t see why Conan O’Brien, Ben Affleck, Michael Bay, Rob Dyrdek, Guy Fieri, Jimmy Kimmel, Trey Parker, Tyler Perry, Sylvester Stallone, and even Mark Wahlberg should own more of a share when he’s the reason they watch in the first place. 

These are the sports stars who have put money down for the new UFC

The UFC started as fringe entertainment, but it’s long list of big name investors shows how close it’s come to the main stream. The fact that Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft is in on the action is a sure sign that the sport is about to take off in a big way, for better or worse. 

Kraft isn’t the only big sports name that’s bought up shares in the UFC. Tom Brady, Li Na, Cam Newton, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Venus Williams all own more shares than McGregor, according to Vice. And the list goes on. 

Six musicians invested in the UFC 

No less than six musicians joined the long list of celebrity investors in the UFC.  The Weeknd, Calvin Harris, Anthony Kiedis, Adam Levine, LL Cool J, and Flea all have a stake in the UFC. It’s interesting that so many people with so little sports experience would want to get in on this deal. 

Thanks to it’s celebrity investors, plus all the work great fighters like McGregor have put in, the UFC is well placed to be a popular, mainstream sport in the next few years. These celebs could easily promote the organization to their followers and fans. Each star has millions of fans, and a huge voice. 

The UFC isn’t going to be the same ever again

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Thanks to the celebrity interest in the UFC, it’s safe to say the organization won’t be the same from here on out. The company has shown strong growth over the last few years, and president Dana White has a plan to take MMA from a backyard sport to a global affair. According to White, the celebrity investors are there to help with that goal. 

White told interviewers that “Expanding our ownership group to include this caliber of talent and entrepreneurs is a strong indicator of UFC’s fast-growing global presence.” According to new investor O’Brien, the opportunity was presented to these celebs thanks to William Morris Endeavor, who bought the UFC in 2016, according to ESPN. WME paid $4 billion for the organization at the time, and it’s now worth an estimated $10 billion, reports The Sports Rush.

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