Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has a new partner.

The UFC today announced that Flash Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s government, has acquired a 10 percent stake in Zuffa.

Financial terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

News of the deal was first shared by FiveOuncesOfPain.com this past Friday, though initial reports suggested Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi had personally invested in Zuffa.

Instead, the deal grants a minority share of Zuffa to Flash.

“Flash is an independent live events and entertainment organization based in the United Arab Emirates,” UFC president Dana White stated in an official release. “Its sole shareholder is the government of Abu Dhabi.

“We got to know these guys discussing an event in Abu Dhabi. This led to the investment conversation. After conducting in-depth due diligence, they saw the tremendous global potential of the UFC brand. The guys who run this company are young, hip, aggressive visionaries. They are big thinkers.”

While not yet officially announced by the promotion, the UFC is expected to host UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi on Apr. 10.

While the Las Vegas Review Journal points out that Zuffa carries $450 million in debt, the same Moody’s Investments Services report cited by the outlet also indicates the company’s income is sufficient to meet the required payments.

White also insisted the deal had nothing to do with financial needs and everything to do with the vision for worldwide growth.

“UFC has no financial issues, and business has never been better,” White stated. “We did this deal because of the huge opportunities it provides for UFC’s global growth.”

Prior to the recent deal, brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta III owned 90 percent of Zuffa, while 10 percent was controlled by White. It’s currently uncertain how the Flash Entertainment deal affected those parties’ ownership stake.

Despite being both the face of the UFC and a driving force behind its exponential growth, White stated he had no concerns about bringing on a new partner.

“I didn’t feel that way at all,” White stated. “I don’t look at this as my baby and nobody else can touch it. The way I look at this thing is that the UFC is a brand, like Microsoft, McDonald’s or any of these other ones. I think that I’m gonna have a certain amount of time here and then my time will be done and I will have done my part, and then somebody else will carry it on after me.

“I don’t look at this like I’m gonna be here forever. A lot of people say, ‘Without Dana the UFC couldn’t do this or couldn’t do that.’ I think the UFC is bigger than that and bigger than one person, including me.”

White insists that day-to-day operations of the organization will not be affected by the deal, though he believes global expansion will be greatly streamlined.

As for Flash Entertainment, chairman Ossama Khoreibi said the deal provides proof of the ambitions of the company.

“Since our very first meeting, we were impressed by Lorenzo, Frank and Dana’s commitment to growing the UFC as a global sport,” Khoreibi stated. “Flash is equally committed to building Abu Dhabi’s profile as an international entertainment destination, and this partnership provides further proof of our company’s bold ambitions.”

Khoreibi also said he’s excited at the prospect of assisting the UFC with its worldwide growth.

“We look forward to an exciting future ahead, working closely with our UFC partners to activate this sport in the UAE, the region and across the world.”

(Pictured: Dana White)