Nick Khan: WWE-UFC merger could offer some fighters ‘extended’ career

The WWE-Endeavor deal could potentially offer crossover opportunities to some UFC fighters.

WWE and UFC were officially merged into one company today as TKO Group Holdings. Though they will continue to operate independently, Nick Khan told ESPN that the merger could offer some fighters the ability to extend their careers with TKO. Khan said fighters with big personalities could potentially crossover from UFC to WWE.

“UFC fighters are gonna stay focused on the UFC and WWE superstars obviously do something different in our ring,” Khan said. “… but you also see in the UFC people with big personalities who, once their UFC run is done, once the UFC and the fighter says, ‘Hey, maybe now’s the time to call it a day,’ could those people have a longer life at WWE, an extended life with TKO? We think so.”

Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey are among those who have been stars for both WWE and UFC.

Khan, who is the president of WWE, is a member of TKO’s board of directors.

UFC senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein also spoke to ESPN about the merger.

“Where we want to get is where every UFC fan is a WWE fan and every WWE fan is a UFC fan,” Epstein said.

ESPN wrote that there are no plans for WWE or UFC to undergo massive changes. Epstein said one thing that could happen in the future is UFC and WWE holding major events on the same weekend in one city and selling that as a package to tourism authorities:

There are no plans for ‘massive changes’ to the respective products, [Khan and Epstein] said. Epstein said White will still run the day-to-day operations of the UFC and Levesque will remain the head of creative for WWE. What could happen, Epstein said, is the UFC and WWE holding major events on the same weekend in one city and the two promotions going to tourism authorities and selling them on paying for the UFC and WWE as a package deal coming to their jurisdiction.