The deal to sell Pride’s assets to UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta has now been finalized according Sherdog.com. The news comes more than 3 weeks after the sale was supposed to be finalized on May 1. In a pre-UFC 71 call with the media on Thursday UFC President Dana White denied the news.

The status of the sale has been up for debate ever since the May 1st deadline came and passed with no official announcement or the two sides officially documenting the sale.

The deal, which was announced in principle in late March at a joint press conference in Tokyo, but has since stalled for unknown reasons. Many have speculated that the delay was simply a matter of paperwork delays but with recent news that Pride fighters are planning on suing the now-former owners of Pride, Dream Stage Entertainment, there may be more to this story than has been publicly discussed.

Whether or not this deal is official or not is a matter of perspective and what sources you trust, although I would count on definitively knowing the status of the Pride sale following UFC 71 and its post event press conference.

Tags: Dana White, Frank Fertitta