WWE has proven to be very successful in the world of wrestling, but the TKO entity has done very little with the UFC according to Dana White.
Speaking at the post-show press conference for UFC 302, White was asked about working with WWE under TKO. The UFC President admitted that little has actually been done with WWE despite the merger.
“It’s very separate. I haven’t worked with them at all. I do what I do, and they do what they do. They’re using some of the people from my team to help them in different areas, business-wise, but as far as putting on live events, I mean, WWE is very good at what they do. And we’re very good at what we do. And yeah, that’s about as far as it goes.”
TKO Group Holdings was launched in September 2023 with the merger of WWE and UFC. It had been confirmed back in April 2023 that Endeavor would be acquiring WWE as part of a $9 billion deal. Endeavor (known as WME/IMG at the time) acquired UFC back in 2016 for around $4 billion.
WWE & UFC Together
While White has stated that collaboration between the two sides has been minimal, that doesn’t mean WWE and UFC have done nothing together. The two companies recently merged their live events teams, a decision that has led to some layoffs in WWE. In a matter of days, WWE and UFC will arrive at KFC Yum! Center Arena in Louisville, Kentucky to host back-to-back shows. WWE SmackDown will take place on June 7, while UFC’s next event will be on June 8.
WWE Superstars can often be spotted at UFC events in another example of cross-promotion branding. WWE NXT Battleground will be held at the UFC Apex on June 9, the first time any WWE event has been held at the venue. During UFC 302, WWE’s Rezar threw out the challenge to fight some UFC heavyweights so fans may be seeing the former Tag Team Champion in the Octagon soon enough.