UFC fighter Holly Holm.
(Image credit: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

UFC, the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization, has been sold for $4 billion, sources told 8 News Now.

A formal announcement is expected Monday morning. After months of rumors, sources say the papers were signed on Saturday for what will be the largest single deal in sports history. The new owners are the talent agency WME; the sports and entertainment company IMG; and MSD, a private equity group headed by Michael Dell. KKR, a global investment firm, is a strategic partner. Brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who own 80 percent of UFC, will keep a small percentage in the new ownership group, 8 News Now reports. They purchased UFC in 2000 for $2 million.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.