“$21 billion” clinch: The UFC and WWE have officially merged
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on September 13, 2023
The UFC and WWE have formally merged, according to an announcement on September 12.
UFC, the mixed martial arts juggernaut, and Vince McMahon‘s World Wrestling Entertainment made it official on Tuesday morning, with WWE superstars Bianca Belair and Montez Ford ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange, where the united companies began trading under their new banner, TKO Group.
Endeavor, the mega agency that has become a global sports and entertainment company, and which owns UFC, declared, “TKO brings together UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment, to create a new premium sports and entertainment company serving more than one billion young and diverse fans, reaching viewers in 180 countries, and producing more than 350 annual live events.”
Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO, trumpeted in part, “With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide.”
For his part, former WWE head McMahon, now an executive chairman of TKO, previously said of the merger, “Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse.”
McMahon, the longtime face of WWE, stepped down as the company’s chief executive in 2022 amid an investigation into alleged hush payments to women who accused him of sexual misconduct, according to Variety.
He returned to the company in January 2023 as executive chairman and spearheaded the efforts to sell the company.
Dana White, the outspoken former president of UFC, is now chief executive officer of that company.
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