Are the bosses happy and the public? UFC and wrestling have come together on a single platform: TKO
Sergey Sorokin September 14, 2023, 11:45 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
They threw mud at each other, but now they have become one.
The Endeavor Group, owner of the UFC, reached a unique agreement this spring. Acquired the largest wrestling promotion on the planet, WWE. It was initially said that the leagues would not be in close contact. But with each new step of the patterns it becomes increasingly clear that they have already begun to interpenetrate. It is worth noting that this trend can have a very positive impact on the development of Dana White’s empire.
First details of the historic decision:
Wrestling is the most alive of all living things! UFC bought the coolest league and will send its stars there
UFC and WWE decided to create a single platform: TKO Group. It is true that for this they had to unite. It is curious that the shares were divided almost equally. 51% stayed with the heads of the Endeavor Group, the remaining 49%, with the management of the largest wrestling platform on the planet. According to preliminary estimates, the value of the new company will amount to $21 billion and, in addition, as reported by Reuters, it will have another internal name: Project Stunner.
The parties quickly decided how exactly TKO Group Holdings’ internal kitchen would be built. Ari Emanuel, who also heads Endeavor Group, will become CEO. Vince McMahon will now be the chairman of the board, with Mark Shapiro taking on the role of president. Dana White will remain president of the UFC, Nick Khan will govern wrestling.
At the very moment of signing the contract, the representatives of the promotions literally fraternized with each other. It is very interesting to see if we look at the history of the relationship between the UFC and WWE.
WWE, UFC and TKO executives and current fighters (center)
Photo: Michelle Farsi/Getty Images
The promotion’s audiences constantly overlapped, so they were forced to fight constantly. And Dana White spoke very impartially about WWE representatives. And he called wrestling “fake garbage”, whose paid broadcasts should be sold at a very low price.
It is worth noting that WWE boss Vince McMahon also did not treat his competitor in the best way. So much so that he even offered a fight to Dana. White himself later spoke about this.
Dana Blanco
President of the UFC
“Vince wanted to fight me. I swear to god. One day he called me and said, “Let’s do this. “We can fight in the UFC tournament, we can fight at WrestleMania.” I told him he was crazy.”
Now the promotions have merged and their audience has surpassed one billion fans. Therefore, the site may reach an unprecedented size. At first, Dana directly stated that it was impossible to hold joint tournaments. But now the situation may change. Furthermore, there are already positive examples of the transition from mixed martial arts to wrestling and vice versa.
UFC and WWE can create a unique ecosystem where fighters can make money for a long time. And with the arrival of sponsorship money, athletes’ contracts should become more solid, which is what everyone has been waiting for. And most importantly, after completing their professional career in mixed martial arts, fighters will be able to safely move on to wrestling, where the level of injuries is lower.
Let’s talk about one of the main stars of this business:
“Be humble and be hungry.” The main fighter on the planet and the most expensive actor on it.
We can already say that the deal has become unique. Two giants of their respective directions have merged, so we can expect great decisions. WWE events already attract huge stadiums that can seat 80,000 people. What happens if we hold a joint tournament with the UFC? An event like this could go down in martial arts history forever. And White and McMahon could fight in the main match. It’s time to make Vince’s wish come true.
