UFC and WWE formally finished their merger on Tuesday following information of the pro wrestling corporate’s acquisition by way of Undertaking previous this pace. The TKO workforce formally introduced on Tuesday morning and is now buying and selling at the Brandnew York Hold Trade.

TKO opened with a valuation of $21.4 billion. UFC’s mum or dad corporate Undertaking will personal 51% of TKO and WWE shareholders will obtain a 49% stake. The TKO board comes to integral contributors of the UFC and WWE brass. Vince McMahon, previously the controlling shareholder of WWE, will handover as govt chairman of TKO. UFC president Dana White will now function as UFC CEO. Undertaking CEO Ari Emanuel can also be CEO of TKO and Undertaking govt Mark Shapiro will handover as TKO’s president and leading running officer. Nick Khan will serve as as WWE president.

Expectancies are that UFC and WWE will proceed to run as sovereign systems, UFC senior govt vice chairman and leading running officer Lawrence Epstein advised ESPN. White will proceed to run the day-by-day of UFC and Paul Levesque will head up WWE inventive. UFC and WWE would possibly start conserving main occasions at the similar weekend in a single town and leverage their mixed energy when negotiating with tourism government.

“Where we want to get is where every UFC fan is a WWE fan and every WWE fan is a UFC fan.”

The merger additionally opens the door to moment crossovers. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, as an example, have already received global championships in each organizations. Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier just lately acted as a unique visitor referee at WWE’s Ultimate Regulations tournament in October. Cormier used to be provide at Tuesday’s conserve trade opening in Brandnew York.

“UFC fighters are going to stay focused on the UFC and WWE superstars obviously do something different in our ring,” Khan mentioned. “… But you also see in the UFC people with big personalities who, once their UFC run is done, once the UFC and the fighter says, ‘Hey, maybe now’s the time to call it a day,’ could those people have a longer life at WWE, an extended life with TKO? We think so.”

Information of the merger first made headlines in April all over the weekend of WrestleMania 39.