Ultimate Fighting Championship proprietor Endeavor Group Holdings Inc and WWE are merging to type a $21.4bn (£17.3bn) sports activities leisure company.
As a part of the transaction, Endeavor may have a 51% controlling curiosity within the new company, which has but to be named, whereas present WWE (World Wrestling Leisure) shareholders will personal 49%.
Corporations decide enterprise worth UFC $12.1 billion (£9.8 billion) and WWE is valued at $9.3 billion (£7.5 billion).
The information comes after WWE founder and majority shareholder Vince McMahon returned to the company in January and stated it might be up on the market.
It has been speculated that firms comparable to Disney, Fox, Comcast, Amazon and Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund could also be .
The brand new company might be led by Endeavor CEO Ari Emmanuel. Mr. McMahon will grow to be the Government Chairman, a place he at present holds in WWE.
Dana White remained the chairman of the UFC and Nick Khan turned the chairman of the WWE.
“Together we will be a live sports and entertainment powerhouse valued at more than $21 billion with a collective fan base of over one billion people and an exciting opportunity for growth,” McMahon stated in an announcement.
The brand new company plans to commerce on the New York Inventory Alternate and may have 11 members on its board of administrators, six of whom might be appointed by Endeavor and 5 by WWE.
This comes after WWE held its fashionable WrestleMania occasion over the weekend.
Final yr, WWE posted $1.3 billion in income and obtained over 16 billion social video views within the final quarter of final yr.
Her wrestlers embrace 5 of the highest 15 most adopted feminine athletes on this planet on Fb, Twitter and Instagram, led by Ronda Rousey, who has 36.1 million followers.
McMahon resigned as CEO and President of WWE in July final yr after the investigation alleged sexual misconduct,
His daughter Stephanie McMahon then took over. However he resigned per week after his return to the board in January.