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Endeavor merges UFC, WWE: 5 fast facts you need to know

By Amy Kaplan

Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; UFC president Dana White at a press conference after UFC
Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; UFC president Dana White at a press conference after UFC / Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports
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Everything you need to know about the WWE and UFC merging together.

On Monday, it was officially announced that the UFC and WWE were being merged together under Endeavor in a blockbuster deal. The entire deal is a bit confusing to those not familiar with business dealings so we've broken it down a bit to hit the most important details from the historic announcement.

1. The UFC, WWE merge is worth more than $21 billion

Endeavor Group now owns both the UFC and the WWE and holds a 51 percent state in the merged combat sports group. The remaining 49 percent is controlled by shareholders.

According to a press release, they value the UFC at $12.1 billion and the WWE at $9.3 billion.

2. Dana White remains as president of the UFC

According to the release, Dana White's role in the UFC will not change. He will continue to act as president.

3. Vince McMahon will be involved as Executive Chairman of the Board

Vince McMahon remains involved as the Executive Chairman of the Board.

“Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity. The new company will be well-positioned to maximize the value of our combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster our strong stable of brands. I, along with the current WWE management team, look forward to working closely with Ari and the Endeavor and UFC teams to take the businesses to the next level.”

4. Who will run this new merged company?

There will be a Board of Directors, 11 members who will be appointed at a later date, six of whom will be appointed by Endeavor and five by WWE.

“This is going to be UFC 2.0,” Emanuel said in an interview that aired Monday on CNBC’sSquawk on the Street.

5. What this means for the UFC fighters

At press time its unclear if the UFC fighterswill get any perks after this merge. There's hope that perhaps fighter pay will increase, but that's not official and only time will tell.

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