WWE’s deal with Endeavor is expected to close in September, according to a new filing.
WWE and Endeavor, UFC’s parent company, reached a transaction agreement in April 2023. As part of the agreement, WWE and UFC will form a new company. Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, will serve as the CEO, and Vince McMahon will serve as Executive Chairman of the Board for WWE. At the time, the deal was expected to close in the second half of 2023.
Per Lucas Manfredi of TheWrap, Endeavor Group Holdings reported their earnings for the second quarter. They reported a net income of $666.5 million on revenue of $1.43 billion. Manfredi wrote that Endeavor plans to close the WWE-UFC merger in mid-to-late September.
Once the deal is complete, the two companies will merge to form the $21.4 billion TKO Group Holdings entity. UFC and WWE are valued at $12.1 billion and $9.3 billion, respectively.
SEC filings previously detailed the process of how the agreement came to be. More information is available here.
Endeavor President: We Will Run The UFC Playbook With WWE
In an interview with Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, Endeavor president Mark Shapiro shared his thoughts on the merger.
“We’re going to run the UFC playbook,” he said. “The opportunity to put Vince McMahon’s creative head with Dana and Ari is going to create a significant amount of value for shareholders.”
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
