One well-known UFC executive believes that future fan crossover between the UFC and WWE could soar to levels never before imagined, but it’s not Dana White.
The creation of TKO, a new $21.4 billion publicly traded sports entertainment corporation that combines the two pro wrestling and MMA powerhouse enterprises, was announced on Tuesday, and it opens up a world of opportunity to reach both fan groups. In reality, Lawrence Epstein, senior executive vice president and chief operational officer of the UFC, is imagining the biggest of scopes.
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Dana White disagrees with UFC Vice President
After UFC’s Tuesday merger with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), UFC CEO Dana White responded to his own COO’s remarks in a humorous way.
In an interview with ESPN, Lawrence Epstein, senior executive vice president and COO of the UFC, praised the potential for crossover between the two sports juggernauts, saying, “Where we want to get is where every UFC fan is a WWE fan and every WWE fan is a UFC fan.”
Epstein’s evaluation, however, didn’t particularly impress White, the former president of the UFC and current CEO of the combined organisation.
“Lawrence, I love you … one of the dumbest statements of all time,” White told reporters during a press conference.
Yes, said Dana White that he has no idea why he said it. He is not really sure how to respond to that. No. There is none. Some crossover exists. Some individuals enjoy WWE, some enjoy UFC, and some enjoy both. The fight promoter stated, “I don’t think there will ever be a day where we convert every UFC fan into a WWE fan or every WWE fan [into a UFC fan].”
According to Epstein, “massive changes” are not anticipated for either the UFC or WWE. White will continue to oversee daily operations for the UFC, and Paul Levesque (a.k.a. “Triple H”) will continue to serve as the company’s chief creative officer. The UFC and WWE holding events in the same city on the same weekend and pitching that to tourism authorities are two ways Epstein sees opportunities to realise his goal.
