UFC and WWE have joined forces under one ownership group at Endeavor, creating a combined asset with a reported value of over $21 billion.
A new powerhouse in sports and entertainment has emerged as the UFC and WWE join forces under one ownership group at Endeavor, following a blockbuster deal announced on Monday. The combined asset is valued at over $21 billion, with plans to make the UFC-WWE conglomerate a publicly traded company in the next four to six months. Under the new power structure, Ari Emanuel will serve as CEO of the UFC-WWE combined company, with Vince McMahon serving as executive chairman. Dana White will remain president of the UFC, while Nick Khan will be president over WWE.
Although the companies will hopefully benefit from working together, Emanuel promises that both promotions will have autonomy when it comes to day-to-day business, as well as creative control over each brand. Any disagreements will be handled in-house. Emanuel told CNBC, “Here’s what we said, and I said it to [Vince] — if we disagree on something that we want to do, guess what? We’re not doing it. It’s the relationship I have with Silver Lake. It’s the relationship that I have with Dana. Dana’s got the say as it relates to the UFC, Vince as it relates to the WWE. He’s going to have the say. We have nothing to do with the creative process. That’s Vince’s and that’s Dana’s situation.”
Emanuel has largely been hands-off regarding the UFC when it comes to daily operations of the promotion, with White still making all the major decisions regarding talent, production, and any other major issues that arise. McMahon will maintain that same level of control at WWE, although he stated he won’t get as deep “in the weeds” creatively with the product as he has in the past. Emaneul said he couldn’t imagine a better situation, especially after working alongside White for the better part of the past seven years since purchasing the UFC for just over $4 billion. As part of the evaluation for the combined company, Endeavor now values the UFC at a whopping $12.1 billion.
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Emanuel said. “Because I’ve got Vince McMahon, a visionary that sees around corners. I’ve got Dana White and what we’ve built. That’s pretty unstoppable. Combined, it’s rarefied air, the two of us. I think the analysts will see it’s good for the shareholders of WWE and it’s good for the shareholders of Endeavor.” A huge return on investment for Endeavor will likely come in the next two years, with both UFC and WWE negotiating new media rights deals. UFC currently partners exclusively with ESPN, while WWE works with FOX and Comcast (NBC/Universal), as well as a separate deal for the WWE Network through Peacock streaming, which is also owned by Comcast.