Endeavor Group Holdings, the media conglomerate and ownership company of UFC, launched an initial public offering Thursday.
Executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, as well as UFC president Dana White, all appeared at the New York Stock Exchange, where Endeavor stock began trading at $24 per share and closed at $25.20.
“It’s official,” White wrote on Instagram. “The UFC is now a public company.”
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission last month, Endeavor is in the process of acquiring 100% ownership of UFC. Previously, Endeavor had owned 50.1% of the promotion, which it purchased from Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta for $4 billion in 2016.
The coronavirus pandemic hit Endeavor hard in 2020. According to the same filings with the SEC, the company reported a $625 million net loss on $3.5 billion in revenue in 2020.
Endeavor planned to go public in 2019 but pulled back at the last minute, reportedly due to low demand. The company also owns the Professional Bull Riders tour and Miss Universe.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi contributed to this report.