UFC President Dana White recently announced a powerful partnership between the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The two organizations aim to join forces in order to create a larger fan base that spans between the two companies. This move is expected to have a dramatic effect on both their fan bases and create an incredible marketing opportunity. White also revealed the Power Slap League is working with Rumble, having agreed to a two-year media rights deal including eight events and a championship in the United Arab Emirates.
This new deal established a corporate leader within Endeavor, which White believes will be beneficial in a number of ways. He notes the potential to reach a greater audience base and believes it will help unite the strong fan base of the UFC and WWE. Several personality differences between the companies have been noted, but it is expected that Vince McMahon will continue in his role as WWE executive chairman and White will remain as president of the UFC.
The Power Slap League is its own venture, overseen by White and ex-UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, with a massive viewership across the globe. Viewers and fans tune in to Power Slap: Road to the Title, which is a slap-fighting reality series. The upcoming season championship is expected to be held in Abu Dhabi, and today’s deal with Rumble highlights the large audience the league continues to attract. This includes outdrawing NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL viewer counts on YouTube.
White believes the heavy internet presence of the Power Slap League should keep the sport away from pay-per-view events. Instead, he wants to see the league strategically capitalize on the viewership and utilize sponsors. White, Fertitta, and Power Slap President Frank Lamicella are flying to Miami Wednesday to make that happen, with a meeting scheduled with Monster Energy sport drink.
The UFC and WWE companies have a multitude of opportunities in this new deal, and the goal is to continue to reach newer heights using the marketing strength and diverse fanbase of both companies. With the rapidly growing viewership of the Power Slap League, these companies are poised to take the entertainment industry by storm.
Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE, is an American entertainment, sports and content management firm. The company is known for its high-profile mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. Founded in 1995, the company has since grown to become one of the most valuable and relevant entities in the entertainment industry.
Dana White is president of the UFC and lauded one of the most powerful figures in the sports and entertainment industry. White is credited with building the modern-day UFC and frequently acted as representative of the company in the media. Over the years, White has also become an executive producer of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, which helped thrust MMA into the mainstream. He is also an avid advocate for the sport and spent the years since UFC was acquired working to make MMA more mainstream.
