It’s no longer a surprise to see UFC fighters make the leap from the Octagon to the squared circle. From Ken Shamrock and Matt Riddle to Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, so many UFC fighters have enjoyed WWE success over the years. While sportsbooks like Borgata don’t offer WWE odds like they offer UFC odds (yet!), these MMA fighters have used stints in the WWE to beef up their resumes at some point during their respective careers.
There might be even more UFC fighters joining the WWE in the near future, too, since both organizations are now owned by the same company. Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. bought UFC and WWE in recent years and launched a new company called TKO Group Holdings to complete a $21 billion merger between the two powerhouse brands. It should lead to more synergy between them when it comes to sharing fighters.
This certainly isn’t the UFC Dana White signed up for back in 2001 when he first joined the MMA promotion company. But believe it or not, he’s in favor of UFC fighters taking their talents to the WWE when they want to do it. He was asked for his thoughts on UFC fighters jumping to the WWE after UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis recently expressed an interest in launching a pro wrestling career.
“I would do anything for Derrick Lewis,” White said. “Listen, some of the fighters who fight here have always dreamed about doing a WWE match or whatever it is and I don’t have a problem with that.”
White hasn’t always been quite so keen on UFC fighters flirting with the idea of becoming WWE wrestlers. A quick “Dana White WWE” Google search reveals that he had problems with former WWE CEO Vince McMahon in the past and didn’t love the idea of UFC fighters finding their way to the WWE because of it. But even then, he acknowledged that he hasn’t ever stood in the way of these fighters pursuing their pro wrestling dreams.
“I didn’t have a problem with that when Vince was consistently f——- me for no reason,” White said, “and now that that’s not the case anymore, I, obviously, would absolutely [let UFC fighters take part in WWE matches].”
Don’t expect to see White himself standing in the middle of a WWE ring anytime soon, though. When you see Dana White, UFC is the first thing you associate him with, and he plans to keep it that way. He doesn’t have any interest in participating in WWE storylines himself, even as a special guest referee, and said his jumping to the WWE will “never happen.”
While it remains to be seen which other UFC fighters might join Lewis in trying to jump to the WWE, it’s worth noting that there have also been a bunch of WWE wrestlers who have leaped to the UFC. It’s another trend that could continue now that the UFC and WWE are more closely connected than ever before.
Discover more from Wrestling-Online.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.