WWE CEO Nick Kahn expects UFC crossovers to continue under new Endeavor deal: “We will be looking to collaborate with them when appropriate”

WWE CEO Nick Kahn expects UFC crossovers to continue under new Endeavor deal.

It was announced today, Monday, April 3rd that the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is set to merge with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to form a new publicly traded company under the umbrella of the Endeavor Group.

The massive multi-billion-dollar deal is being referred to as ‘UFC 2.0’ by Endeavor CEO, Ari Emanuel.

Endeavor is the parent company of the UFC.

In a press release, Endeavor founder and CEO, Ari Emanuel, issued the following statement:

“This is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pureplay built for where the industry is headed. For decades, Vince and his team have demonstrated an incredible track record of innovation and shareholder value creation, and we are confident that Endeavor can deliver significant additional value for shareholders by bringing UFC and WWE together.”

While Ari Emanuel will run the combined company as CEO, WWE majority owner and Executive Chairman will assume the executive chairman role. WWE’s Nick Khan will be the president of the wrestling brand alongside UFC president Dana White.

Speaking with ‘OutKick’, WWE CEO Nick Khan offered the following insight (h/t MMAMania):

“You saw Brock Lesnar go from WWE to UFC, where he become its heavyweight champion, then come back to WWE. You saw Ronda Rousey and her amazing run with the UFC come over to WWE. Daniel Cormier was a special guest referee for us in our October premium live event this past year. Opportunities like that will continue.”

Continuing, Khan spoke of how the operations will move forward:

“That said, both businesses are going to be run separately. Dana White will, of course, continue to run the UFC. We have deep relationships with the guys over there, from Dana to Craig Borsari to Lawrence Epstein. We will be looking to collaborate with them when appropriate. Right now, we want to focus on getting WWE integrated and situated with the company.”

Are you excited about the UFC and WWE partnering together under the Endeavor Group?

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