Conor McGregor makes a bold statement as Endeavour, the parent company of the UFC is reportedly in the advanced stages to acquire WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.). Sources close to the matter have requested anonymity since the deal is confidential. It is worth mentioning that even WWE chose not to respond or make any comments on the same.
Ari Emanuel owns the Endeavour Group, which is an entertainment and media agency. The group purchased the biggest MMA organization, The Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2016. The 62-year-old refused to respond on a possible deal earlier this month as well. However, the deal might be announced as early as this week.
Ari, a Hollywood power broker, took a majority holding in the UFC in a whopping $4.2 billion deal and obtained the company’s remaining stake along with its IPO five years down the line. Previously, Zuffa LLC owned the sports organization. Emanuel has a diversified portfolio worth more than 20 such acquisitions in the pocket.
During a media scrum, a reporter asked Triple H if he could make any comments about the reported $9.3 billion deal. The 53-year-old simply responded with a “nope.”
As per the same reports, existing Endeavour shareholders await owning 51% of the entertainment and combat sports company, whereas WWE shareholders would be getting 49%. This is a major step for Endeavour, a company that was previously only known for representing television and film talent at one point.
It is worth mentioning that earlier this year, rumors started floating on the internet of a similar possible deal. It stated that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was interested in buying Vince McMahon‘s WWE. The end result would have been one of the largest of its kind at the time. Per the rumored deal, WWE would have been taken private, just like it previously was prior to its 1999 IPO.
Conor McGregor claims the UFC is now worth $12 billion
Hours after the reports surfaced online, ‘The Notorious‘ Conor McGregor took to Twitter to congratulate the ruling parties. The 34-year-old insinuated that Endeavour is about to acquire WWE off the market, quite similar to its UFC acquisition. McGregor said, “Congrats to the @ufc now worth a cool Proper $12bn. Wow! Endeavor bout to scoop the @WWE now also. Incredible. What a powerhouse!”
Congrats to the @ufc now worth a cool Proper $12bn. Wow! Endeavor bout to scoop the @WWE now also. Incredible. What a powerhouse!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 2, 2023
However, this isn’t the first time that the Irish megastar has tweeted about WWE or its athletes. In 2016, McGregor went on one of his infamous online rants, trash-talking several WWE stars. So much so that WWE star Roman Reigns fired back at him on Twitter.
With reports of the deal in place, it seems ‘The Notorious’ is back on the same horse. The Dublin native has already exchanged a few words with the likes of Paul Heyman on Twitter. In another tweet, McGregor posted a picture of him holding the UFC and WWE belts on each shoulder.