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VIVA: The $250 Million Superyacht Of UFC Owner Frank Fertitta III

From his current position as CEO of Station Casinos to how he – alongside brother Lorenzo and childhood friend Dana White – transformed the UFC into a multi-billion-dollar promotion , there’s virtually endless information about how Frank Fertitta III made his fortune. How he chooses to spend said fortune, however, is a little more mysterious (at least for the fun stuff). One such indulgence we know the elder Fertitta brother has treated himself to is the ultra-luxurious Feadship-built superyacht known as Viva, which comes with an eye-watering price tag of US$175 million / AU$252 million.

Conceptualised by Azure Yacht Design & Naval Architecture in collaboration with De Voogt Naval Architects, while also showcasing interiors accomplished by Peter Marino, Viva was only completed in the Netherlands last year and delivered shortly thereafter.

RELATED: Inside Lawrence Stroll’s $282 Million Superyacht ‘Faith’

Back to the matter of Viva, it boasts an overall length of 308 feet / 94 metres with a 13.6-metre beam and gross tonnage of 2,999 – making it the 85th largest superyacht in the entire world; seventh largest ever constructed by Feadship – and can comfortably accommodate 14 guests across seven cabins alongside a capable crew of 18.

Viva has been called the “most environmentally-friendly luxury vessel of its kind” due to it featuring a hybrid propulsion system that allows the boat to cruise using diesel-electric power, as well as a waste treatment plant and heat recovering systems.

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• Formal dining area
• Beauty salon
• Helipad w/ helicopter registered as N702FF (believed to have been chosen for Frank’s initials)

Viva has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure.

The annual running cost of this enviable billionaire’s toy? Over US$17.5 million / AU$25 million. 

Viva was last sighted en route to Martha’s Vineyard by way of Nantucket — but you can check it out for yourself via the Superyacht Times’ video below.

NOTE : As interior photos have yet to be released, the shots embedded are just samples.

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The Queen Of The Beam: Simone Biles' Net Worth

Snoop dogg's net worth is also really high, the crow cast net worth, ranked from lowest to highest, quick links, one of the most expensive superyachts in the world, opulent interior and exterior, the legendary makers of the superyacht.

It has only been a few months since Frank Fertitta, who also owns the UFC, received delivery of the magnificent yacht "Viva" in June. "Viva" is a 94-meter-long luxury yacht built by Feadship at their shipyard in Kaag, Netherlands.

Viva was recently completed and delivered in the Netherlands. She was designed by Azure Yacht Design & Naval Architecture in collaboration with De Voogt Naval Architects, while Peter Marino designed her interiors. Let’s take a look inside the $250 million superyacht of UFC owner Frank Fertitta III.

There is an almost endless amount of evidence regarding how Frank Fertitta III acquired his wealth, ranging from his current position as CEO of Station Casinos to how he, along with his brother Lorenzo and childhood friend Dana White, turned the Ultimate Fighting Championship into a multi-billion dollar business.

However, the manner in which he chooses to spend such wealth is somewhat less evident (at least for the fun stuff). The ultra-luxurious superyacht Viva, which was built by Feadship and has a jaw-dropping price tag of $250 million, is an example of such a luxury acquisition. The eldest Fertitta sibling stated that he made this transaction for himself.

It should be noted that Feadship appears to be the Fertitta family's preferred shipbuilder. Lorenzo Fertitta is the owner of the 285-foot-long (87-meter-long), Feadship-built Lonian , which costs $160 million. Tilman Fertitta, the cousin of the Fertitta brothers, is the happy owner of a more modest Westport Yachts-built vessel in Boardwalk. This vessel achieves a maximum length of 163 feet or 50 meters and costs $27 million, which is significantly more reasonable than the preceding vessel.

RELATED: A Peek Inside Tennis Superstar Serena Williams' Luxurious Car Collection

Peter Marino designed the interior, and Azure Yacht Design designed the exterior. At the stern of the upper deck are a gym, a beach club, a theater, a beauty salon, underwater lighting, an elevator, and a helipad. In addition, the ship has a cinema and a beauty salon. The hull of Viva is composed of steel, while the superstructure and decks are made of teak and aluminum, respectively. It has two diesel-electric MTU engines , each with 16 cylinders, 3,916 horsepower, and 2,050 revolutions per minute. It can achieve its top speed of 20 knots while maintaining a cruising speed of approximately 12 knots.

Its freshwater tanks have a capacity of around 71,000 liters, while its fuel tanks can hold approximately 280,000 liters of gasoline. The owner wanted their new mega yacht, which is 94 meters long and built by Feadship like their prior mega yacht, which was 32 meters shorter, to have a smaller environmental impact than their previous mega yacht. In addition to adopting hybrid propulsion, the owner requested that the exterior and interior design of the superyacht adhere to a minimalist aesthetic because they belong to the "less is more" philosophical school.

Consequently, one can witness clean lines and an abundance of glass. The interior design of the superyacht is reminiscent of a beach cottage. In order to reduce fuel consumption, the hull has been made more aerodynamic. The motor yacht Viva measures 94 meters in length. The superyacht has a beam of 13.6 meters and can carry 2,999 gross tons of cargo. On board the superyacht Viva, there is space for a maximum of 14 passengers.

RELATED: The $4.8 Billion Vessel: Here's What Makes History Supreme The Most Expensive Yacht In The World

The Viva is the seventh-largest yacht manufactured by Feadship. In April 2021, Viva departed the Dutch shipyard and steered with extreme caution through the Dutch canals, coming dangerously close to colliding with canal-side structures. Feadship, which has its headquarters in the Netherlands and a history dating back to 1849, is frequently recognized as the most successful company in the sector of manufacturing pure custom million-dollar superyachts .

Each vessel in the Feadship fleet sets a new standard for craftsmanship, design, engineering, and construction. This is because each new Feadship indicates an improvement over their prior efforts. This is what the corporation refers to as its unrelenting pursuit of excellence. In every manner, the brand-new superyacht Viva exhibits this degree of excellence.

In addition, the year 2022 will mark 73 years since the founding of Feadship. Although the three key players in the First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders each had histories dating back several decades further, the official creation of what is now the world's foremost superyacht brand took place in an Amsterdam café in 1949.

Every new Feadship is an accomplishment in and of itself, as its builders constantly strive to redefine what defines perfection and ensure that each new model is structurally and technologically greater than the one that came before it. This strategy produces yachts that cannot be duplicated because they include space-age technologies and ultramodern design techniques. The Viva superyacht is, without a doubt, the finest of its kind.

READ NEXT: The Sandman Craze: Everything We Know About Sandman Season 2 On Netflix So Far?

Sources: Boss Hunting , Superyacht Times , Superyacht fan

$175 Million Superyacht Viva Moored Off Nantucket

Jason Graziadei • Jul 06, 2022

If you’ve arrived or departed from the island by boat over the past few days, you couldn’t have missed the gargantuan visitor lurking just offshore.

The 308-foot superyacht Viva was moored off Nantucket earlier this week, just outside the jetties, as the massive vessel was too large to navigate into the harbor. It departed for Martha's Vineyard Wednesday night.

The $175 million Viva, which was built by Feadship in the Netherlands and completed just last year, features its own helicopter which has been spotted circling around the island this week. It is the 85th largest superyacht in the world, and is believed to be owned by billionaire Frank Fertitta III , the CEO of Station Casinos in Las Vegas and founder of Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The yacht’s helicopter sports the tail number N702FF, which was believed to have been chosen for Fertitta’s initials.

"That's definitely one of the biggest vessels I've seen around Nantucket in my 20 years here," Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said on Wednesday.

The yacht has been called the “most environmental-friendly luxury vessel of its kind” as it features a hybrid propulsion system that allows the boat to travel at 12 knots under diesel-electric power, as well as a waste treatment plant and heat recovering systems on board. Its annual running costs are reported to be in excess of $17.5 million .

Viva has a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. Among its many amenities are a cinema, a beauty salon, a gym, and, of course, a helipad on the upper deck.

Following its construction in the Dutch shipyard, the massive yacht had to squeeze through narrow canals to make it out to sea, as documented in these photos shared by CNN last year.

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Boat of the Week: Meet ‘Boardwalk,’ Houston Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta’s Showstopping 252-Foot Superyacht

This vessel has a long, instantly recognizable profile. but it's the myriad interior details—and the interplay of light and crystal—that define her., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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At the end of February, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta and his family held an annual Mardi Gras celebration, which they call the San Luis Salute. The event, which included local officials and celebrities, was headlined by the band Maroon 5. But the most visible VIP guest at the gala was Fertitta’s majestic new superyacht, Boardwalk.  

The 252-foot Feadship is indeed a showstopper. It was the largest vessel at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and hundreds of people walking the docks took selfies against Boardwalk ’s towering stern, with a H130 helicopter perched on the top deck. Fertitta and his family enjoyed the show from the comfort of the yacht—from the main-deck’s rear cockpit lounge to be precise.

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It’s Fertitta’s favorite spot on his new yacht, a sanctuary protected from the wind and sun, but still exposed to the ocean. It’s also a microcosm of Boardwalk ’s very intricate design. The stern has the requisite lounges, bar and large flat-screen television, but that’s where it differs from other yachts. The ceiling has delicate curves, there are many lights embedded into the area above the bar, and the trim on the columns supporting the stern’s overhang is highly stylized.

The abundance of crystal and lighting define Boardwalk ‘s formal dining area.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

“I don’t think any other owner pays as much attention to the details,” Fertitta told Robb Report during a visit to the yacht. “If you look at the bigger yachts, they really don’t vary much with standard features like ceilings and lighting.”

“Tilman came in with all the important details—all the details that really make the difference in this boat,” adds Amy Halffman, who worked closely with Fertitta on the design. “He’s an extreme detail man, down to the quarter of an inch.”

The Houston entrepreneur has made a highly successful career out of paying attention to the details. Named by Forbes as the “World’s Wealthiest Restaurateur,” the chairman of Fertitta Entertainment and chairman of Landry’s has an empire that also includes the Houston Rockets NBA team, multiple restaurants, Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealerships, and five-star hotels.

The contrast of the black stairwell with the white floors is dramatic, nicely offset by the custom stainless-steel inlays along the railings.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Fertitta’s Post Oak Hotel in Houston, in fact, provided inspiration for Boardwalk . “We spent a lot of time meeting at the hotel,” says Halffman. “He had a lot of input into that design, which is classy and elegant, so we decided to reflect that style on the yacht.”

This Feadship is actually Halffman’s fifth yacht project with Fertitta, the other four Boardwalks being a succession of ever-larger Westports, the most recent being 165 feet in length. After owning it for 12 years, “it felt like time for a larger project,” says Fertitta. “One that was more complex and elaborate.”

While upsizing by almost 100 feet sounds like a simple hull stretch, the Feadship has 1,848 gross tonnes of interior volume, compared to 492 on the last Westport—in other words, the latest Boardwalk has nearly four times as much interior as the last one. That makes not only for a very complicated build—something which bespoke builder Feadship is used to—but also a new mindset for the interior design, which the design team needed to wrap their heads around.

A more relaxed vibe in the owner’s office.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Halffman and design partner Frank Woll came up with the concept about four years ago, and then worked closely with the owner on the yacht’s many features. There are hundreds of features, seen and unseen, that distinguish the interior.

The most noticeable—arresting, in fact—is a whimsical, fantasy-like sculpture of a bronze female form with a dress of flowing crystals, diamonds and pearls. The work by Estella Fransbergen is strategically placed in the main entry. “She’s like a guardian angel,” says the sculptor, noting it took nearly two years to complete. “She was originally going to be placed by the staircase, but we moved her so she greets everyone.”

“I’d seen Estella’s work years ago and admired it,” says Halffman. “The torso of the woman’s body appealed to everyone and proved to be a launchpad for me. It played off all the other features.” They include an enormous crystal in the main foyer, pendant chandeliers in the formal dining area beside a case with crystal wear, and bespoke crystal light fixtures on the nearby stairway—which also has a beautiful stainless railing that resembles a feature from the last Boardwalk , but on a much grander scale.

The main salon, with detailed lighting overhead. Notice the backlighting on the rear bar.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

The designers looked for striking but elegant stones—a white opal for the salon and an onice grigio for the sky lounge—mixed with Sapele, mahogany and other dark-stained woods that show contrast with the light-colored fabrics and tiling. The wine cellar even has a custom stainless-steel design that gives it a distinctive look. In all, 55 stones, marbles and tiles were used across the yacht.

Of course, all these stunning details were made possible by the ubiquitous placement of lighting, both direct and indirect, something that Fertitta understands with almost a scientific precision. His previous Westport had four times more lights than the yard had ever put on the 164-foot series. This Feadship paid even more attention to the lighting. Even the beach club, with its lounge and dedicated dive and watersports locker, has a stylish, deliberate look. The bar has a light fixture comprised of Swarovski crystals.

The yacht, though immense, is easy to navigate. Fertitta and longtime captain Tristan Judson paid attention to the functional aspects, creating an open foredeck where the two Hogdon-built tenders are stored, adding the ability to use the massive area for social occasions. The sundeck has a mosaic-tiled swimming pool, and above that is an observation deck with a mast. On that level, one gets a sense of how large Boardwalk really is, surrounded by smaller superyachts at the Fort Lauderdale show.

The intricate details on the day head—typically a forgotten space—give a sense of the how the design team approached the interior.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Still, the owner and his designers managed to keep a sense of intimacy throughout, installing what they call a “country kitchen” as the owner’s galley, to allow more informal meals and socializing than the main dining room, while retaining the yacht’s professional galley for the staff on another deck. Fertitta, who often works on board, has an office dressed with light-colored fabrics, lounges and glass doors to access the exterior decks.

The Feadship may not be Fertitta’s last yacht. Rumor has it that he’s talking to European yards about an even larger Boardwalk . When asked about it, he says simply: “I love to build things.”

Some other angles.

Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Courtesy Boardwalk

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Beautiful Yachts profiles the most luxurious and beautiful yachts around the world. If you have a great photo of a beautiful yacht, please email us at [email protected]

Dec 28, 2022

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OC’s Wealthiest 2023: Frank Fertitta III

FRANK FERTITTA III CEO RED ROCK RESORTS INC.

THE MONEY: With brother Lorenzo, bought mixed martial arts promoter UFC for $2 million in 2001; cashed out in 2017 when UFC had a $5 billion valuation, each brother reported to have 40.5% stake in business. Took family’s casino business, Red Rock Resorts, public in 2016; the brothers own Las Vegas’ Station Casinos now valued at about $1.3 billion. Cousin Tilman Fertitta bought Laguna Beach’s Montage resort last year for $650 million; he also owns the Houston Rockets and restaurant firm Landry’s, whose portfolio includes several OC properties.

STOCK BOOST: Value of Red Rock Resorts is up nearly 50% year-over-year, to valuation of $5 billion. Family has a significant stake in company and controls all voting matters.

WEEKEND WEALTHY: Bought a beachfront home in Emerald Bay community of Laguna Beach in 2009 for $28 million. Family has other nearby properties, and last year was reported to have paid $43.5 million for a recently rebuilt home in the same community along the water. That deal is among the top 10 most expensive sales in OC history.

YACHT UPGRADE: Frank and Lorenzo are each reported to own superyachts valued more than $125 million, along with “planes and major pieces of contemporary art,” noted a 2019 report from CNBC. Frank reportedly got a new and improved vessel last year. Dubbed Viva, it counts an estimate $175 million value. It is reported to be the 85th largest superyacht in the world. “The yacht’s helicopter sports the tail number N702FF, which was believed to have been chosen for Fertitta’s initials,” said a 2022 report in the Nantucket Current, when the vessel was in the area.

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These Trumpy Billionaire Bros Are in Hot Seat Over Union-Busting Claims

Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta may have to testify about allegations of union-busting at their casinos.

Noah Kirsch

Wealth and Power Reporter

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo Getty

A labor dispute of cartoonish proportions is playing out in Las Vegas, pitting two Trump-supporting casino billionaires against one of the largest private union drives in the country.

Brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta have been ordered to testify about allegations that their gaming business, Station Casinos, egregiously tried to undercut labor organizing efforts. It is just the latest chapter in a complex saga that has played out for a decade. An administrative trial involving some of the claims is underway before a National Labor Relations Board judge.

The Fertittas are best known for Ultimate Fighting Championship—the mixed martial arts promoter they sold for more than $4 billion in 2016—and for donating millions of dollars to Donald Trump and his dark-money machine , America First Action. Much of their wealth, however, lies in a gambling operation founded by their father, which is now the subject of the union-busting allegations.

“It's extraordinary that you would bring in the very, very top person in the company [to testify],” says Bill Werner, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who researches employment disputes. “What the union is saying: the Fertittas made this decision.”

The trial follows a blistering opinion issued by a federal judge in July, which ordered Station to begin negotiating a contract with roughly 1,350 culinary workers over a contested 2019 union vote at Red Rock Resort.

In the run-up to that vote, Station had announced that it would grant employees new benefits, including a pension plan, reduced health-care contributions, and a medical center, according to court documents. The union ultimately lost the right to organize by a margin of 627 to 534.

“​​Red Rock’s offer of benefits was a hallmark violation,” Judge Gloria Navarro wrote in her opinion. “Many employees admitted not voting for the Union because they feared losing the new health care and 401(k) benefits that Red Rock had just promised.”

A 2019 union vote at the Red Rock Resort is at the center of the legal drama.

Ethan Miller/Getty

Adam Christian, a union supporter who has been a server at one of Station’s properties for 15 years, believes that many of his co-workers were intimidated into voting no.

“They decided to throw the kitchen sink at everybody and not even give detailed information to us to be able to even make an informed vote,” he says. “I just want to be treated fairly by a company and have something in writing.” Christian claims the casino stopped letting him serve Frank Fertitta meals once he started wearing a union button on his shirt, even when the billionaire sat in his section.

A spokesperson for Station Casinos denies that the new benefits were related to the union drive, saying it made “changes before it even knew there was to be an election.” In an appeal to the July ruling, the company called the decision “not only unjust, but also unprecedented.”

The Fertittas are likely to challenge the order to testify until the last moment, Werner says. In the meantime, supervisors at their casinos are choosing sides.

Last month, dozens of managers arrived at the union’s offices wearing matching shirts and chanting, “We despise union lies.” Most were not even eligible to join the unit.

“In our nearly nine decades of organizing, the Culinary Union has never seen company managers or supervisors picket, especially on their day off when it is 99 degrees outside,” the union’s secretary-treasurer, Geoconda Argüello-Kline, said in a statement . “We hope that they stay hydrated and cool.”

Union activity at Station Casinos has bubbled for a decade, driven in part by a history of harsh workplace practices, some employees claim.

Steve Bailey, a bellman at Red Rock Casino, says that he was pressured to skip breaks when he first started at the company 14 years ago. He bristled at other policies too, including a requirement that on-call employees be available 24 hours a day if managers decided to summon them into work.

“If you did not answer that call within five minutes, it was considered a refusal,” Bailey says. Three refusals resulted in automatic termination, he said. “I was so apprehensive about missing a call that I would put my phone in a plastic bag… and I would take it in the shower with me.”

Bailey also claims that employees have faced pressure to work private events for the Fertitta family, and that managers have sometimes used surveillance tapes to nitpick job performance. There is little recourse, he says, when employees are asked to perform tasks outside of their job descriptions.

As one example, Bailey was recently asked to drive a gambler to another property, he said. He resisted, since he lacked formal training, and ultimately said no, but he worried about repercussions: “I felt like my job was in jeopardy,” he said.

A Station spokesperson says that “the Culinary Union has a fraught relationship with the truth from the top down. The very few of our employees who have complained typically have an agenda.”

The years of tumult have not impeded the Fertittas’ financial success—including the massive UFC sale five years ago.

The brothers had purchased the fight promoter for just $2 million in 2001 after growing addicted to martial arts while taking classes in the basement of one of their casinos.

“What makes UFC so great,” Lorenzo Fertitta told Forbes in 2008, “is that every single man on the planet gets it immediately. It’s just two guys beating each other up.”

Previously, gambling had been the true family trade. The Fertittas’ dad, also named Frank, founded Station Casinos in 1976, and it grew to specialize in properties off the main Vegas strip, catering to locals over crapulent tourists.

Lorenzo Fertitta, left, and his brother Frank, right, with artist Damien Hirst at the Palms Casino Resort in 2018.

David Becker/Getty

The company is technically still private, though it is partly owned by Red Rock Resorts, a publicly traded business that the Fertittas control. Red Rock’s stock is up more than sixfold since the start of the pandemic—when it suffered a precipitous drop—and it’s now worth over $5 billion, an all-time high. Each Fertitta brother is personally worth $2.7 billion, Forbes estimates.

The brothers have not been shy about that money.

In late August, Lorenzo’s 285-foot megayacht, Lonian, caused a stir when it docked off the coast of Newport Beach; some locals believed it was a naval ship. Lonian, which cost a reported $160 million, features a glass-bottomed pool and helipad. It even travels with its own special friend, a 217-foot support yacht called Hodor outfitted with a spare helipad and additional gear.

Frank is known to splash out, too. His daughter’s 2018 wedding reportedly cost $25 million, thanks to a cake that stood more than two stories tall, a blinding amount of crystal, and an entertainment lineup that included Seal, John Mayer, and Bruno Mars. According to the Review-Journal , event staff were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.

As for the labor dispute, the ongoing trial is unlikely to end the war, since the Fertittas could easily drag out the fight for another decade or longer.

“This will all be resolved when the culinary union has a contract with each Station property,” says Werner, the University of Nevada professor, about one slice of the battle. “I predict that happens never.”

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

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Viva Superyacht Owned by Frank Fertitta III at Fisher Island Terminal

Viva superyacht owned by frank fertitta iii at fisher island terminal in miami beach, florida aerial view. the 94 meter long ship designed by azure yacht design & naval architecture and de voogt naval architects is a innovative a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system with a steel and aluminum superstructure - © 2023 david oppenheimer - performance impressions aerial photography archives - performanceimpressions.com.