With the iconic WWE-UFC merger, the two sports promotions have seen unprecedented growth. While there have been numerous negatives that have come to light, one cannot ignore the popularity and records that the two have broken in the past. Adding on to the benefits is the new deal that TKO now signs.
The TKO group recently announced that WWE and UFC’s global partnership teams are now being merged. “TKO Merges UFC and WWE Global Partnerships Teams to Create Sports Marketing Powerhouse Combined Unit to Offer Blue-Chip Brands Unprecedented Integration within Two of the World’s Most Iconic Sports and Entertainment Properties,” it claimed.
NEWS: $TKO, the combined entity that holds @WWE and @UFC, is merging the partnerships team of those two companies.
This is first major combination of those two businesses under TKO, as far as I recall, and definitely won’t be the last. pic.twitter.com/1jDfPWNqxw
— Eben Novy-Williams (@novy_williams) January 4, 2024
The Chief Financial Officer of TKO, Andrew Schleimer, revealed the brain behind the deal. He said, “Since Endeavor acquired UFC in 2016, UFC’s global partnerships business has become a significant growth area, and we believe WWE’s partnerships business has similar potential.” With this being said, it was the best move to align two massive powers and attain a desired result.
Over the past few years, WWE and UFC have seen many global brands being promoted inside the ring. Brands such as PRIME Hydration, Monster Energy, and Crypto.com have already partnered with UFC. On the other hand, WWE isn’t far behind in bringing brands such as Netflix, PepsiCo, Pizza Hut, and Slim Jim into the limelight. In a nutshell, considering the past records, TKO’s latest deal could turn out to be a banger.
The TKO deal also keeps the hope of a UFC-WWE crossover alive
WWE and UFC merged as the TKO Group back in September 2023 for a whopping $21 billion. With TKO’s latest partnership deal, the two promotions are sure to surpass their existing records. With this, the possibility of the two promotions coming together for a crossover is all-time high.
In the past, multiple stars from either of the promotions have made a shift to the other promotion. Stars like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey have shifted their fan base to the promotion they aligned themselves with. This is a clear indication of how things would go if they merged together.
Back in September 2023, the UFC’s President, Dana White, brutally thrashed the expectations of the crossover. He called it “the dumbest statements of all time.” However, in the past, White has taken a u-turn on multiple things. With this, the fans are hopeful to see the same in the upcoming times with regards to the WWE UFC crossover.