UFC CEO Dana White rubbed his brow in apparent consternation over a quote from a longtime UFC govt on becoming a member of the UFC and WWE fanbases.
The quote, from an ESPN.com article on the struggle promotion’s official merger on Monday with the professional wrestling chief, was little doubt supposed as an optimistic tackle the chances of the promotions working underneath the identical umbrella (and, naturally, the possibility to develop extra worthwhile).
“The place we need to get is the place each UFC fan is a WWE fan and each WWE fan is a UFC fan,” mentioned UFC senior govt VP Lawrence Epstein, whose quote produced his fast response.
White didn’t fairly see it that means.
“Lawrence, I like ya, one of many dumbest statements of all-time,” White mentioned of Epstein, who previously served because the UFC’s chief authorized counsel earlier than taking a broader govt function with the corporate.
“I don’t know why he mentioned that — I don’t even know what to say to that,” White continued. “No, there’s some crossover. Some folks like WWE, some folks like UFC, some folks like each. I don’t suppose there’s ever going to be a day the place we flip each UFC fan right into a WWE fan, or each WWE fan [into a UFC fan].
“What’s lovely in regards to the synergy between these two fan bases is they’re very, fully reverse. There’s little or no crossover. Perhaps he was misquoted. I hope that’s the case, as a result of I couldn’t disagree with him extra.”
Monday’s merger introduced White along with WWE Government Chairman Vince McMahon because the executives from the promotions rang the NYSE bell after making official their merger, which makes the UFC and WWE one publicly traded firm, TKO Group Holdings. Endeavor, the UFC’s earlier company mother or father, owns 51 p.c of TKO’s inventory; its CEO Ari Emanuel has mentioned the plan is for UFC and WWE to function independently underneath their present management. White was named the UFC CEO, although he’s not on TKO’s Board of Administrators.
White beforehand has dismissed the thought of aggressive crossover between WWE and UFC, saying fighters who went into professional wrestling and vice versa was on a case-by-case foundation. Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was the highest-profile wrestler to struggle within the octagon, although he introduced collegiate wrestling credentials to his new enterprise. One other crossover, like former WWE champ CM Punk, who had a fraction of Lesnar’s precise fight expertise, ended briefly UFC run. UFC fighters who made their method to WWE have discovered blended success; Matt Riddle and Ronda Rousey are two of the best-known examples.
As for the fan bases of the sports activities leisure promotions, there’s been a lot written in regards to the enlargement of the UFC’s fan base at the price of the WWE throughout its explosive progress within the late 2000s and early 2010s. There’s much less proof of the alternative with UFC followers turning into aficionados, although, and each phenomenons haven’t been extensively measured, although each promotions conduct in depth analysis on their audiences.
Former UFC champ Rousey mentioned there have been apparent variations between followers of UFC and WWE in how they responded to expertise.
“I’d say that the WWE followers care extra in regards to the wrestlers than the UFC followers care extra in regards to the fighters,” she mentioned on her YouTube channel. “UFC followers have a lot much less respect for his or her veterans and legends of the game than WWE followers do. Lots of UFC followers are sort of like bandwagon followers in that means. It’s like, the second you’re not on high, you’re lifeless to them.”
Former UFC Co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta has beforehand mentioned the UFC primarily based its enterprise mannequin on that of the WWE; the promotions are structured very equally in the way in which they produce content material and work with expertise. White has repeatedly cited McMahon as a enterprise affect. That respect doesn’t imply he sees the manufacturers as going after the identical followers’ {dollars}.
