CEO of UFC's parent company shows interest in purchasing WWE
The latest breaking news suggests that UFC's parent company Endeavor could be making a major coup in the sports and entertainment market.
Mark Shapiro, the president of Endeavor, recently appeared on The Town Podcast to discuss the future of the UFC and spoke about former WWE chairman Vince McMahon's recent retirement.
During the podcast, Shapiro dropped a potential bombshell that could have major ramifications for both the UFC and the WWE. He stated that Endeavor would be interested in purchasing the professional wrestling company, but as far as he's aware, it's not for sale:
"That would be something that would be interesting and worth exploring. Would we buy it? Who knows? Last I checked, it wasn't for sale. We're interested in anything in the owned sports properties segment."
Endeavor purchased a majority stake in the UFC for around $4 billion back in 2016. According to Mark Shapiro, with the acquisition of the UFC, Endeavor's value has reached close to $6 billion. The president then explained the factors that go into making such a major purchase:
"Some might just be tuck-in acquistions, some might just be adding resources. Right now, in this environment, there's nothing transformative, because with all the mud that's out there, and all the headwinds, and all the fear. If you're running a company like this one that does almost $6 billion in revenue, conserving cash, paying down debt, those have to be big priorities."
Listen to Mark Shapiro here:
Dana White's initial reaction to Endeavor buying the UFC
In May, Dana White shared his reaction to the news that Endeavor completed their 100% ownership of the UFC last year.
Endeavor had approached the MMA organization in July 2016 and struck a deal for 49.9% of the shares, worth around $4 billion. Five years later, the holding company purchased the remaining 51.1% from the Fertitta brothers, now owning the entirety of the UFC.
Endeavor says that UFC saw the best financial year in its 28-year history.
The parent company totaled $5.1 billion in 2021 overall revenue in its first year as a public entity, with owned sports properties bringing in $1.1 billion.
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The UFC president appeared on the BLOCK PARTY podcast and was asked about the staggering deal. White admitted to struggling to adjust to the sale at first, but ultimately believes it has since proved to be a major success:
"It was very, very hard on me, you know. I don't know about the Fertittas. I think, you know, I think they definitely miss it now. But, yeah, it was very, very hard on me but I ended up... you know, it all ended up working out really well for me so... I stayed on and I'm still one of the owners and... yeah so not a bad deal."
Catch the BLOCK PARTY podcast here: