UFC to own WWE? Vince McMahon agrees surprise deal to sell company to UFC owner Endeavour

WWE is reportedly set to be sold to the parent company of the UFC - the Endeavour Group, which is owned by Ari Emanuel. While WWE has been searching for buyers for a few months now, CNBC reported on April 2 that UFC’s parent body Endeavour is told to be in advanced talks to buy WWE. Under the deal, the UFC and WWE would be merged into one publicly traded company.

The report claim that the development can be official as soon as Monday. This comes after WWE successfully hosted the two-day WWE WrestleMania 39 premium live event in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. As per CNBC, sources under the condition of anonymity informed that UFC and WWE are expected to become a new publicly traded company as part of the agreement between the parties.

WWE's enterprise value is estimated to be USD 9.3 billion

The report further stated that Ari Emmanuel’s Endeavour Group would own 51% of the new combat sports and entertainment company, whereas the WWE shareholders would get 49% stakes. The deal will reportedly give WWE an enterprise value of USD 9.3 billion. Endeavour bought UFC from its previous owners in 2016 for USD 4 billion.

Emmanuel is likely to be the chief executive of both Endeavour and the new company. At the same time, WWE owner Vince McMahon is expected to be the executive chairman, while Endeavour President Mark Shapiro will also assume the same role in the new company. Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White is expected to retain his place in the MMA promotion, while WWE CEO Nick Khan will serve as the president of the wrestling business. 

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Earlier this year, Vince McMahon returned to WWE as the chairman and soon reports about his wish to sell WWE started making rounds. McMahon announced his retirement from the company in July last year, after he was found to have paid millions of dollars to his former female employees as hush money settlements. His daughter Stephanie McMahon then served as the co-CEO of WWE alongside Nick Khan, before stepping down from the role in January.

In the meantime, the merger deal with UFC would mean WWE will no longer hold its status as a decades-old family-run business. The company was founded by Vince McMahon’s father during the middle of the 1900s, and the 77-year-old is the controlling shareholder in the company. He bought WWE from his father in 1982 and took the promotion to greater heights with each passing year.