WWE-UFC Merger: Under the parent corporation of the UFC, Endeavor Group Holdings, the UFC and WWE will hold sister events. The two sporting events—the more produced World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the real mixed martial arts competition Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)—will merge to form a new publicly traded corporation. The firms officially disclosed the agreement today (Apr. 3), confirming a previous CNBC report. See the five essential details concerning the WWE-UFC merger. Follow the latest UFC News and WWE News Updates with InsideSport.IN
— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2023
Five things to know about the WWE-UFC Merger
- WWE’s Financial deal with UFC’s parent company
According to the terms of the arrangement, Endeavor will own 51% of the new combat sports and entertainment firm, and WWE shareholders would hold the remaining 49%. According to a press release from the firms, the purchase values WWE at $9.3 billion and Endeavor’s UFC at $12.1 billion. On Monday morning, shares of WWE and Endeavor both decreased. The deal is anticipated to be finalized in the second half of 2023. The goal is to combine WWE and UFC to create a worldwide $21 billion live sports and entertainment corporation.
- No leadership upsets
At the new WWE-UFC organization, there have been no news leadership coups. This new deal will pick eleven board members; Endeavor will select six, and WWE will select five.
New management following the merger:
Ari Emanuel – Endeavor & NewCo CEO
Vince McMahon – NewCo Exec Chairman
Mark Shapiro – Endeavor & NewCo Pres./COO
Jason Lublin – Endeavor CFO
Andrew Schleimer – NewCo CFO
Dana White – UFC Pres.
Lawrence Epstein – UFC COO
Nick Khan – WWE Pres. pic.twitter.com/BPGlt6a5im— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) April 3, 2023
According to the press release, Ari Emanuel will serve as the new business’s chief executive. Vince McMahon will also serve as executive chairman, while Mark Shapiro, president, and chief operating officer of Endeavor, will continue in those capacities at the new business. Dana White will continue in his role as UFC president, and WWE CEO Nick Khan will continue in his role as president of the wrestling industry. In an interview on Monday’s episode of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” Emanuel declared, “This will be UFC 2.0.”
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Inside scoop on WWE’s takeover bid with UFC
Two of the biggest sports entertainment brands in the world would join forces under the pact. The UFC and WWE both exhibit legitimately brutal mixed martial arts fighting, although WWE has planned matches and soap opera-like plots. Nonetheless, the organizations are identical in terms of content and culture. Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar are two UFC fighters who have competed in WWE matches.
WWE provides stockholders of Endeavor with a powerful media and live events business as well as decades’ worth of intellectual property. Last year, the company brought in $1.29 billion in revenue, mainly because of its $1 billion media division.
- Two social media powerhouses together
Given its global appeal and devoted fan base, which spans all ages and socioeconomic levels and includes everyone from children to elders, industry experts considered WWE a tempting acquisition target. Business is also a dominant force in social media.
Read more here: https://t.co/Po2SXvEHwF pic.twitter.com/bgNjlDmNqJ
— UFC (@ufc) April 3, 2023
The number of social video views in the fourth quarter of last year exceeded 16 billion. It has over 20 million followers on TikTok and approximately 94 million YouTube subscribers. Five of the top 15 most followed female athletes worldwide are its female wrestlers, led by Ronda Rousey, with 36.1 million followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
In January and February of this year, WWE recorded more than 7.5 billion digital and social media views, an increase of 15% from the corresponding period in 2016.
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Possible pay cut after the WWE-UFC Merger
The rumors around UFC fighter salaries are well known. Future WWE wrestler compensation will be intriguing to see, and when one corporation buys another, there is always a transition. Although some people are concerned about releases, hopefully, not too many employees will be let go. With Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE from UFC’s Parent company, there will always be a sword of release on WWE superstars.
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