The Weeknd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Calvin Harris, LL Cool J, More Invest in UFC

The Weeknd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Calvin Harris, LL Cool J, More Invest in UFC

In July, the WME-IMG talent agency purchased the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the largest promoter of professional mixed martial arts) for a price of $4 billion. It’s now been revealed that the agency asked celebrities to help them finance their acquisition, according to ESPN. They were required to make a minimum contribution of $250,000 to become part of the ownership group. That group of celebrities includes the Weeknd, Red Hot Chili Peppers members Anthony Kiedis and Flea, Calvin Harris, LL Cool J, and Adam Levine.

Other members of the celebrity-led ownership group include Ben Affleck, Tom Brady, Serena and Venus Williams, Guy Fieri, Jimmy Kimmel, Sylvester Stallone, and Conan O’Brien. O’Brien first broke the news during his TBS show on Thursday night. Watch his segment below, and see the full list of investors here.

This isn’t the first time this year musicians have had prominent roles in professional sports. Earlier this year, Billy Corgan was named the president of TNA Wrestling. Drake, an avid sports fan, coached Win Butler to an MVP award at NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in February. Butler also took part in a charity basketball game earlier this month.

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