In an exciting development earlier this year, it was announced that the UFC and WWE would come together to establish a groundbreaking new company valued at a staggering £17.3 billion [$21.4B]. This monumental partnership has already started making waves as TKO Group Holdings commenced trading on the prestigious New York Stock Exchange this past Tuesday. It’s clear that this collaboration is poised to make significant strides in the industry and capture the attention of investors worldwide.
With Endeavor’s Chief Executive, Ari Emanuel, at the helm, the newly-combined company is set to soar to new heights. Emanuel’s successful acquisition of MMA’s premier league for a substantial $4 billion in 2016 demonstrates his ability to lead and drive growth. Under his leadership, the company is poised for continued success and expansion.
Vince McMahon, the prominent figure in WWE, will take on the role of executive chairman in the new company. Meanwhile, Dana White, current president of UFC, has been appointed as its chief executive officer (CEO). Despite this change in leadership positions, Dana White assures that there will be no significant alterations to the company’s operations and direction.
Once he finished posing for captivating pictures with Emmanuel, McMahon, and the renowned Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, he eagerly made his way back to the vibrant city of Las Vegas. There, in the midst of excitement and anticipation, he settled down to watch the latest thrilling episode of the Contender Series.
“We’ve been kicking ass for however many years now. The WWE is doing well,” White told assembled media members on Tuesday evening.”
“This just takes the whole sport and everything to a whole different level. I flew out to that thing last night and did it this morning. It was actually really, really cool. It was cool to be a part of”
“I’m excited about the future and what we’re going to do. And I always am, regardless, but after this merger, we’re just so much more powerful than we were yesterday”
“Everything that goes on here I determine. Nothing has changed, just three letters (CEO) instead of [nine]”
“We’re just going to continue to kick ass like we do every single year. For people that are fighters or media or whoever, this just takes this whole thing to another level”
“It’s so much bigger and so much more powerful. When you think about all the things that I want to do before my time is up here, today made that a lot easier and a lot more doable.”
The UFC boss is passionate about creating Performance Institutes and believes that new investments will help him achieve that goal, ultimately making MMA a global sport.
“These PI’s that we open, they’re not cheap. They’re very expensive to run. But I believe truly they are the future of the sport,” White added.”
“This is what’s going to make the sport get bigger. Even if you train at a PI as a kid, we go into Africa, we go into Mexico City and other places that I want to do this, you grow up as a kid training in one of these PIs around the world.”
“You might not become a fighter, but you become a trainer. You will have something to do with the sport and touch the sport in some way to help it grow.”
