Did WWE royalty want to buy the UFC? Dana White and Stephanie McMahon unpack the rumors
Dana White and Stephanie McMahon recently addressed a rumor about WWE's past interest in acquiring the UFC on the What's Your Story? podcast. In particular, the tale involves key members of Stephanie's family, her older brother and father, Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon.
The story goes that Shane had approached their father about buying the UFC during its less profitable days. Unfortunately, the idea was shut down by Vince, who expressed no interest in the promotion. So, what did Stephenie and White have to say about the rumor?
White brought up the rumor, though wasn't certain on how much truth there was to it, saying:
"I was thinking about your brother today, and basically, there was this rumor out there that your brother wanted to buy the UFC, and he thought that it could be big or whatever, and your father didn't believe in it and your father didn't do it. I don't know if that's true, but that's the legend out there."
Stephanie half-confirmed the rumor, but neglected to provide further details in her conversation with White:
"So, there's a little bit of truth in that. Shane's always been a huge fan, right? Always, always."
Check out Dana White and Stephanie McMahon addressing the rumors (0:25):
Fortunately for the UFC CEO, the WWE's founding family never went through with Shane's proposal to acquire the UFC, which has since become the dominant organization in the niche sport of MMA. White's appearance coincided with him being in attendance at WrestleMania 41, where he was allegedly booed.
Dana White and the McMahons are now business partners
There was a time when Vince McMahon viewed Dana White and the UFC as competition. However, the same is not true for White himself, who has always viewed the WWE as a wildly different commodity. MMA is a true competitive sport, while pro-wrestling is a performance art with athletics.
Check out the TKO hype package:
Yet, in a twist of irony, the UFC and WWE are now under the TKO corporate umbrella, and there have been consistent crossover appearances from both organizations at their events.