The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) are companies that have always seemed to be neck-and-neck while growing substantially over the last two decades. Following the historic WrestleMania event on Monday, April 3rd, it was announced that the competitive companies would merge into a $21 billion sports entertainment brand.
This announcement originally came from Endeavour, which is the parent company of the UFC, and was later followed by all the big names in each sport. With this still being a new deal and the expectation that it will close at the end of 2023, there is not much known as far as what this means for the future of the company.
Given the existing history of crossover between the UFC and WWE, fans are excited about the possibilities that could arise because of previous success. When six-time UFC champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey transitioned to wrestling in 2018, many fight fans tuned in to WrestleMania 34 to watch her debut as she is said to be one of the greatest female fighters of all time.
With the popularity she had, this move was extremely beneficial for both sides. Another instance of success was when the legendary WWE star, Brock Lesnar, joined the UFC in 2008 and quickly started his run to becoming a three-time champion later that year. As his fight career was short before returning to the WWE, one of the biggest questions being asked with the merger is if he will be fighting again in the UFC, which has been a desire of fans ever since he left.
Conor McGregor, who is debatably the most well-known UFC fighter ever, teased that he would now be making an appearance in a future WWE event. The combination of the companies seems to be for an increase in marketing and entertainment value and does not actually change anything within them, as Vince McMahon will continue his role as executive chairman of the WWE and Dana White as the president of the UFC.
The endless speculation of fans is creating a lot of excitement about what the future of the joint company will look like, and they are eager for the first big announcement following the unification.
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