Selling the company your family worked hard to build is never an easy decision. That is why the McMahon family was looking for insight on Endeavor and Ari Emanuel before agreeing on a deal to sell WWE last week.
Dana White told Pat McAfee that he was happy to share his experience working with Endeavor and Emanuel since the company purchased UFC in 2016.
“I actually met with the McMahons the last time I was in New York,” White said on Friday’s show. “They wanted to know what it was like to, you know, be in business with him and everything else. Obviously, I couldn’t say anything but incredible, positive things about it.”
White said that what he expects Vince McMahon and Nick Khan to like most about working with Endeavor is that Emanuel doesn’t have a history of demanding major changes to businesses that work.
He added that Emanuel has the capability to “make anything happen.”
“There’s a lot of value that Ari can add on the business side whether it’s licensing, sponsorship, and the list goes on and on. He’ll help grow those areas of their business,” he said. “You know, they’re valued at $9 billion. Watch and see what they are in five years.”
The sale of WWE reminded White a lot of the transaction history of the UFC. That is why he knows the professional wrestling giant is in good hands.
“Just like Bob Meyerwitz, who sold it to us. Bob Meyerwitz thought we were guys that could take it to another level just like when we sold to Ari. You wanted to sell it to a guy that could help grow the business and take it to another level. That is exactly what Vince has done too.”
