Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Cam Newton Have a Stake in the Same Surprising Organization
Tom Brady played for the Patriots for two decades. However, his tenure in New England has come to an end. A new star, Cam Newton, replaced the brilliant quarterback. Brady’s time at the New England Patriots helped him rake in his massive net worth.
While Newton has not had as much success as TB12, he’s still made his name as a quarterback to watch out for. With massive earnings, the two NFL players have a stake in a surprising organization.
The history of the UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts promotion company. The championship is owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Silver Lake Partners, and MSD capital. Featuring some of the biggest names in martial arts, its top fighters include Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and Jon Jones.
The UFC was founded in 1993 and held its first fight at the McNichols Sports Arena. At the time, its purpose was to find the most operational martial arts with no weight class and almost zero rules that fighting sports like boxing and wrestling have.
The absence of weight classes placed some fighters at a disadvantage, especially with larger or taller opponents. However, some fighters believed this disadvantage could be put to good use with Royce Gracie proving that a player’s size doesn’t determine the fight’s outcome.
The late ’90s, however, weren’t a good time for the UFC. Senator John McCain saw a tape from a UFC fight and was disgusted, calling it a human cockfight. He petitioned for the UFC to get canceled with 26 states in the US banning fighting. The UFC’s audience significantly reduced after the ban and the company almost folded due to this loss.
In January 2001, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the championship for $2 million, creating Zuffa LLC. After that purchase, the UFC got more popular, mainly due to advertising. Dana White also bought a stake in 2000 and became the president in 2001. Since then, UFC has held over 500 events and grown into a multi-billion global enterprise.
Investors bought the UFC for $4.025 billion.
In 2016, talent company William Morris Endeavor began asking investors to put stakes in the company worth $25 million to about $50 million. The deal was also backed by other investors, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Silver Lake and Michael S. Dell. The group of UFC investors expands out of the fighting realm with celebrities joining, according to NBC Sports.
The pool of talent invested in UFC includes singer Abel Tesfaye aka The Weekend, Calvin Harris, LL Cool J, and Adam Levine. Mark Wahlberg, Jimmy Kimmel, Anthony Kiedis, Maria Sharapova, Ben Affleck, Venus and Serena Williams, Tyler Perry, Trey Parker, Sylvester Stallone, Guy Fieri, Flea, Conan O’Brien, and players Cam Newton and Tom Brady also have a stake in the company.
Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Cam Newton’s investment in the UFC
Since joining the investors, star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Cam Newton have an increased interest in UFC events. In the UFC 200 event, Tom Brady was spotted with singer Justin Timberlake sharing a moment while watching the fight.
Brady is a three-time MVP and a 14-time Pro Bowl honoree. He led the Patriots to a six-time Super Bowl championship out of the 9 Super Bowls they took part in. Cam Newton was a No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft and earned a Pro Bowl selection in his first season.
Brady’s estimated net worth falls at $235.16 million while Newton has made about $121.38 million in his career. Tom Brady joined the NFL in 2000 while Newton has been playing since 2011. It would therefore make sense that Brady has a higher net worth than Newton.
