A deal has been reached between WWE and Endeavor, the parent company of UFC, to merge their businesses. This deal will see Endeavor claiming 51% of the company’s shares over the coming years, while WWE is claiming 49% of the company’s shares. In the wake of the merger announcement, CNBC reported that WWE was valued at $9.3 billion, while UFC, on the other hand, was valued at just over $12 billion. As far as leadership is concerned, Ari Manuel will be the CEO for both Endeavor and the newly merged company as well. Also, Vince McMahon will serve as executive chairman of the newly formed entity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark Shapiro, the Endeavor CEO and President will also occupy the same position as a member of the newly formed organization. In addition, UFC will retain Dana White for the role of UFC president, and WWE CEO Nick Khan will continue to lead the company’s wrestling division as the company’s president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As announced on CNBC\u2019s Squawk On The Street, Ari Emanuel has high hopes for the newly established company, claiming, \u201cThis is going to be UFC 2.0.\u201d Although WWE had many potential buyers, Vince McMahon was confident that the merger with Endeavor would ensure long-term success for WWE. In his CNBC interview, McMahon says, “It makes all the sense in the world for us to maximize the value of all of these synergies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n