WWE to Merge With UFC

On Monday morning, WWE, owned by Vince McMahon, announced that it had agreed to merge with UFC to create a new publicly traded company owned by Endeavor Group. Endeavor would have a controlling 51% stake in the new combat sports and entertainment company, while WWE shareholders would have the remaining 49%. The deal values WWE at $9.3 billion and UFC at $12.1 billion, according to a press release from the companies. The two companies will merge in the second half of 2023, and the new company will be traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol TKO. The CEO of Endeavor, Ari Emanuel, will be the CEO of both Endeavor and the new company, and McMahon will be the executive chairman with Dana White and Nick Khan remaining as presidents of UFC and WWE, respectively.

The merged company’s board will consist of 11 members, with Endeavor appointing six and WWE appointing five. The name of the newly formed company has not yet been revealed. The deal marks the end of WWE as a family business, a company originally founded by McMahon’s father in the middle of the last century, which McMahon acquired from his father in 1982.

Ari Emanuel speaks onstage during the 2017 LACMA Art + Film Gala Honoring Mark Bradford and George Lucas presented by Gucci at LACMA on November 4, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Stefanie Keenan | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

The two companies are very different, as WWE features scripted matches and storylines while UFC highlights authentic mixed martial arts fighting. However, they are similar in terms of content and culture, and many UFC fighters, including Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, have wrestled for WWE. The deal offers Endeavor muscular media and live events business, as well as years of intellectual property.

The announcement follows a CNBC report that WWE had spent several months looking for a buyer. The stock prices of WWE and Endeavor fell by over 2% and 5% respectively on Monday.

Endeavor owns the WME talent agency, and has used its expertise in media rights, celebrity, and live events to grow UFC’s revenue. The company plans to do the same with WWE, which generates most of its revenue via its media unit. The media rights deals for traditional TV and streaming that WWE currently holds are up for renewal within a few months. Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Fox have already established cable TV and streaming deals with WWE, respectively. With the merged entities, the company will explore new direct-to-consumer opportunities in addition to these existing deals.

Endeavor and UFC leaders’ hard-edged styles align with WWE’s culture. Despite their differences like scripted matches and storylines of WWE versus authentic mixed martial arts fighting of UFC, both companies have commonality in terms of content and culture. With many UFC fighters, including Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, have previous experience in wrestling for WWE. It is said that the deal offers a “rare and finite opportunity” after a robust and competitive process that drew many interested buyers, according to Emanuel.

White, CEO of UFC, also had controversy earlier this year when a video emerged showing him slapping his wife during a public argument at a New Year’s Eve party in Mexico. He later apologized.

McMahon returned to WWE as chairman earlier this year to oversee its sale and will become the executive chairman of the newly merged company. Following a string of revelations, McMahon retired from the company in July due to alleged affairs and misconduct. McMahon’s daughter Stephanie McMahon became co-CEO alongside Nick Khan, and Paul Levesque, a WWE recognized wrestler by name, took over creative duties from Vince McMahon.

After a tumultuous period clouded by scandals, McMahon acknowledged that his family’s business had to evolve for all the right reasons. McMahon will not deal with WWE’s creative decisions when the two companies merge.