UFC, WWE Officially Merge Under Parent Company TKO Group Holdings

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

The merger between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment is now official.

TKO Group Holdings debuted on Tuesday as a publicly traded company at the New York Stock Exchange. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel rang the bell to open trading for the day, and he was accompanied by UFC president Dana White, WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon, WWE executive Paul Levesque and ex-UFC two division champ Daniel Cormier – among others -- during the proceedings.

Endeavor Group Holdings has a 51% controlling interest in the company, while WWE shareholders have a 49% stake. Emanuel will be chief executive of of TKO, while McMahon will serve as executive chairmain – his same role with WWE. White is the CEO, but his role isn’t expected to change significantly with the title, and WWE CEO Nick Khan is will serve as president of WWE.

“The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as leaders in global sports and entertainment,” Emanuel said in a release. “Given their continued connectivity to the Endeavor network, we are confident in our ability to accelerate their respective growth and unlock long-term sustainable value for shareholders. With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide.”

The merger, which was announced in April, forms a combat sports organization reportedly valued at $21.4 billion. As a result, Endeavor is expecting “significant growth” in domestic and international media rights, ticket sales and yield optimization, event operations, sponsorship, licensing and premium hospitality.

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https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/U...nder-Parent-Company-TKO-Group-Holdings-191014

X (Twitter)
https://x.com/sherdogdotcom/status/1701681611383923178?s=20

 

[nonoob]

Seeing an IPO with immense stock purchases worthy of a "TKO".

 

[KAZSoliloquy]

logan paul vs jon jones on the way

 

[David Street]

Stock price $102.00 a share.
The first 18 months of the company's existence will revolve around integrating UFC and WWE, said Mark Shapiro, TKO's president and chief operating officer. After that we will ultimately be in the marketplace looking for other sports properties that we can bolt onto the flywheel enhanced by Endeavor.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ot...e-aspires-to-grow-beyond-fighting/ar-AA1gChpy
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WWF/WWE & UFC are icons of American USA culture. All they need now is a good Monster Truck rally promotion like Monster Jam, would do well with Endeavor's Bull Riding promotion PBR.

 

[skysolo]

20 years ago, no one would have predicted the UFC would buy the WWE.

Seeing Dana White, Macmahon, and Triple H smiling like jackasses makes me want to vomit.

 

[David Street]

This is a dream for Vince he always wanted to own many successful sports.

Vince McMahon tried in the past failed at:
~Owning Stadiums: Cape Cod Coliseum in 1984, the Coliseum was sold for xmas trees space.
~Hockey: Cape Cod Buccaneers (Pro) & Atlantic Coast Hockey League a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987,
~Football: XFL folded after one season 2000, low television ratings, tried again 2018, filed for bankruptcy on April 13, 2020.
~Bodybuilding: World Bodybuilding Federation: 1990 folded in 1992 as it tried to be steroid free.

 

[Blunderbuss]

20 years ago, no one would have predicted the UFC would buy the WWE.

Seeing Dana White, Macmahon, and Triple H smiling like jackasses makes me want to vomit.

You gonna be sick, huh??

 

[David Street]

With Silver Lake with additional capital anchored by Mubadala Investment Company (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), DFO Management, LLC (Dell Computers), buying WME and TKO Group Holdings, what would you like to see in TKO?

*IMG parts that I would like them to move to TKO Group Holdings:
1. Strongman: World's Strongest Man.

*Endeavor parts that can move to TKO Group Holdings:
1. On Location Experiences.
2. PBR® (Professional Bull Riders).

*Silverlake Should move to TKO:
️1. Diamond Baseball Holdings (own outright).
🎟2. TEG combines ticketing services, event promotion, venues, data analytics, and marketing solutions. [combine with On Location]
3. Australian Professional Leagues (APL) is a digital sports entertainment business that holds the exclusive and perpetual right to operate, market, and commercialize the top-tier professional domestic football competitions in Australia. Known collectively as the A-Leagues, they are made up of A-League Men, A-League Women, A-League Youth, and the E-League. (owns a minority 33.3% stake in the Australian Professional Leagues)
4. New Zealand Rugby commercial company (NZR) NZR Commercial investment increase from 5.71% to 7.5%. NZR retains the remaining 92.5% equity in the entity. [IMG has invested in Super League UK, can add]
️5. City Football Group ($500 million equity investment) City Football Group, the collective of soccer clubs headed up by English Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.
6. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports), (2 million shares?, 8.4%?). Madison Square Garden Company, owner of the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers.
7. Oak View Group (OVG) The largest developer of sports & live entertainment venues in the world. ($100 Million)
8. Fanatics Holdings / Fanatics Trading Cards ($300 million)
9. Infinite Athlete (Tempus Ex Machina) a few million invested