UFC president Dana White doesn’t sound too keen on having his athletes involved in any WWE feuds following the historic merger announced on Monday.
“The difference between the UFC and the WWE is — if you look at the WWE, they have an entertainment value, and they have these guys that are incredible athletes that go in there and do their thing. It’s well known that it’s scripted,” White told the Associated Press, as shared by Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats.
It was learned last Sunday before WrestleMania 39 and then confirmed on Monday that UFC parent company Endeavor plans to acquire WWE, combine it with the mixed martial arts promotion and form a new publicly traded company. According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, Endeavor intends to finalize the deal “in the second half of this year pending regulatory approval.”
WWE president Nick Khan hinted earlier this week that there could be “opportunities” for crossover between the pro wrestling and MMA promotions at some point. White suggested that won’t be the case.
“When you look at the UFC, this is as real as it gets. That’s our tagline. You have these guys that are incredible athletes,” White continued, “that have to be well-rounded and well-versed in all these different aspects of martial arts.
Then you have the entertainment side of it, too — but it’s real fighting. It’s real. There are no predetermined outcomes in the UFC. There won’t really be any type of crossover.”
Per Barrett Sports Media, during a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” White explained that he had helped convince WWE majority owner Vince McMahon and his family to do business with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel.
“I actually met with the McMahons the last time I was in New York,” White told McAfee. “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.”
It seems Conor McGregor may want to have a chat with White about possible future WWE storylines:
