The combat sports community will experience a new era as a result of the merger between WWE and UFC’s parent company Endeavor, which created a $21 Billion corporation named TKO. The historic union of the top MMA and wrestling organizations in the world, WWE & UFC, was on display at the New York Stock Exchange. Through this merger, TKO Group Holdings will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “TKO” from today. Dana White, the renowned UFC president, revealed the monumental collaboration in his latest Instagram by posing in front of the NYSE.
To mark this unprecedented collaboration, NYSE placed a large hoarding of the WWE and UFC logos as well as two giant belts of the promotions outside their premises. As seen in the post, the UFC head honcho was in a pleasant mood after the announcement.
Dana White reacts to WWE and UFC’s historic TKO merger
UFC president Dana White took over the company back in 2001, when it was relatively unknown, and managed it towards the frontrunner of MMA promotion. Thus, it wasn’t surprising to see him in such a jovial mood after they completed the merger.
White suited up and took a selfie while standing outside the NYSE building, capturing his elated mood.
Showing his excitement about the collaboration, White tagged the TKO, UFC, and WWE’s Instagram accounts in the caption of the post. Furthermore, he also gave his four-word reaction to the merger. White wrote:
“Here we go again“
The merger is designed to split the stakes almost evenly between WWE and UFC’s parent company, Endeavor. Moreover, it is quite interesting to note who will be at the helm of TKO.
More on the collaboration
The former WWE president Vince McMahon held 80% of the voting authority before selling the Wrestling promotion. Now under TKO, UFC’s parent company Endeavor will hold 51% of the stakes and WWE will get the remaining 49%.
McMahon, who relinquished his role as WWE chairman back in July 2022, will become the inaugural head of TKO. Whereas Dana White will maintain his position in charge of the UFC, ensuring his authority as the spearhead of the leading MMA promotion. Furthermore, as per Joe Pompliano, Ari Emanuel will serve as the CEO.
To capture this historic moment, the authorities of WWE and UFC posed alongside each other, kick-starting the start of a new era under TKO. Those who were present included the likes of Triple H, Dana White, Daniel Cormier, and Vince McMahon.
In the wake of this new dawn, we can expect some blockbuster crossover fights featuring the biggest stars and talents from both WWE and UFC. Thus, the fans will be very excited about the upcoming era of combat sports.
