Kekst and Company is advising WME|IMG's acquisition of mixed martial arts league UFC, a private equity-backed transaction worth around $4B.
ESPN dubbed the deal "the most expensive transaction for an organization in sports history."
Kekst senior VP Todd Fogarty reps MSD Capital, which joins Silver Lake Partners and KKR as "strategic investors" alongside the talent management giant WME|IMG.
UFC was set up in 1993 but has enjoyed exponential growth in recent years, especially among the so-called Millennial generation. "We're now committed to pursuing new opportunities for UFC and its talented athletes to ensure the sport's continued growth and success on a global scale," said WME|IMG co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.
Silver Lake first invested in WME (William Morris Endeavor) in 2012 and backed its acquisition of IMG in 2014.
Christian Muirhead is chief communications officer of WME. Gordon Goldstein is managing director and external affairs chief of Silver Lake.
Joele Frank handles Crinetics Pharmaceuticals as the specialist for treatments for endocrine diseases agrees to get acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a deal pegged at $8.8B.
Teneo represents Honeywell spin-off Solstice Advanced Materials as it buys Collected Strategies client Element Solutions in a deal pegged at $14.5B.
Dallas-based Throughline Global Advisors advised Principal Mineral as it acquired Isola Group, maker of copper-clad laminates used in printed circuit boards.
oele Frank works for satellite operator Iridium Communications as it gets acquired by space company Rocket Lab in a deal worth $8B.
Uber’s Mike Lucarelli is moving to NXP Semiconductors as senior VP-investor relations.
