Dana White, Vince McMahon and Endeavor boss meet outside New York Stock Exchange to seal $21 Billion UFC – WWE merger

WWE,and UFC's mega-merger forms TKO Group Holdings, ending WWE's 70-year era and creating a sports entertainment powerhouse.

Dana White, Vince McMahon and Endeavor boss meet outside New York Stock Exchange to seal $21 Billion UFC – WWE merger

UFC President Dana White and WWE chairman Vince McMahon (Image Courtesy: Imago) (Image Courtesy: Imago)

Endeavor Group Holdings’ mixed martial arts promotion, the UFC, and the sports entertainment powerhouse WWE have now officially solidified their partnership, completing the mega-merger that was originally revealed back in early April. The recently established publicly traded firm, which will have its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, encompasses two renowned global sports and entertainment entities, UFC and WWE. 

This entity now goes by the official name TKO Group Holdings, with its stock ticker symbol, TKO, cleverly alluding to the term “technical knockout” commonly used in combat sports. In this arrangement, Endeavor holds a 51 percent stake in the newly formed company, while existing WWE shareholders retain a 49 percent interest.

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The merger also signifies the conclusion of a 70-year era during which the McMahon family held leadership positions at WWE. Vince McMahon stepped down from his role in July 2022 amid allegations of hush money. Following his departure, his daughter Stephanie and Khan took on co-CEO roles.

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Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, will take on the role of CEO at TKO while retaining his position at Endeavor, which encompasses entities such as the talent agencies WME and IMG. Vince McMahon, the executive chairman and principal shareholder of WWE, served as executive chairman of the newly established company. Mark Shapiro holds the president and chief operating officer positions at both Endeavor and TKO. Dana White will continue as the CEO of UFC, while WWE CEO Nick Khan will assume the new title of president of WWE.

Related: WATCH: Dana White hilariously reacts to Tyson Fury’s Jon Jones call out ahead of Francis Ngannou’s Saudi matchup

Dana White and Vince McMahon together will improve sports entertainment for millions of fans of both companies 

Dana White (Image via Imago)
Dana White (Image via Imago)

As indicated in an investor presentation, the merged entities are projected to produce over $1 billion in annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) from a minimum of $2.5 billion in revenue. Additionally, industry analysts anticipate the company will reap advantages from the rising costs associated with television sports rights agreements. In 2021, WWE inked a $1 billion rights deal with NBC’s Peacock streaming network.

The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as global sports and entertainment leaders,” Emanuel said in a news release. “Given their continued connectivity to the Endeavor network, we are confident in our ability to accelerate their respective growth and unlock long-term sustainable value for shareholders. With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide.

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The merger will bring many changes, and fans of both companies are equally excited about it. It would be interesting to see how both the UFC and WWE utilize their combined inventory to bring out the best quality content for fans in the future.

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