Endeavor is now the most powerful entity in the combat sports world. The company announced a deal to acquire WWE on Monday. WWE and UFC will be combined into a new, publicly traded company. Nick Khan says that doesn’t mean the two organizations will become a single product.
“Both businesses are going to be run separately,” Khan told OutKick’s Bobby Burack. “Dana White will, of course, continue to run the UFC.”
That doesn’t mean that talent from each promotion cannot play in the other’s sandbox upon occasion. Khan, who is now the President of the WWE, says his company has always had a good relationship with White and his team at UFC. He cited examples of how fans have benefitted from that.
“You saw Brock Lesnar go from WWE to UFC, where he become its heavyweight champion, then come back to WWE. You saw Ronda Rousey and her amazing run with the UFC come over to WWE. Daniel Cormier was a special guest referee for us in our October premium live event this past year,” he said. “Opportunities like that will continue.”
With the biggest professional wrestling company and the biggest MMA company under the same roof, Burack pointed out that boxing is the only one of the three major combat sports without a presence within Endeavor. Khan says that it may not stay that way forever. It isn’t a priority right now, though.
Khan said his first goal following the sale will be to make the most of the WWE’s existing intellectual property. He used the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an example of what the WWE could become with the backing of Endeavor and the ability to utilize the media giant’s various assets.
“Characters like The Undertaker and Andre the Giant. I’m not sure that every comic book fan was familiar with Black Panther. But certainly, every movie fan is now,” Khan said. “We want that for our characters. So, if we do it with the right partners, and in the right spirit, we think that we have something that is largely untapped.”
