UFC, the largest mixed martial arts organization, has been completely defeated in an internal power struggle with WWE, the top professional wrestling company that has become a brother corporation.
TKO Group Holdings, launched by the merger of UFC parent company Zuffa and WWE, was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on September 13 (Korea Standard Time).
Zupper sold his 81% stake in the UFC to media agency Endeavor in 2016. Endeavour secured a 51% stake in TKO. UFC and WWE have been incorporated into TKO’s business divisions.
Dana White, who has been running UFC for 23 years, is recognized for a 9% stake even after the parent company changed from Zoop to Endeavour. However, it was excluded from the list of 11 members of the founding board submitted by TKO to the New York Stock Exchange.
The TKO board consisted of an Endeavour 6:5 WWE ratio. WWE’s founder Vince McMahon and chairman Nick Khan joined TKO’s board of directors. However, none of Endeavour’s six nominees are UFC.
According to documents submitted to the New York Stock Exchange, McMahon was listed side by side as CEO Ari Emmanuel Endeavour and founder of TKO. McMahon is also the only member of TKO who has been recognized as an individual.
Endeavour is the largest shareholder, but it is no exaggeration to say that Vince McMahon, who holds a 34% stake alone, is the “TKO No. 1 Power People.”
TKO said UFC President Dana White also served as CEO. In other words, it will entrust management and operation as well as corporate supervision.
However, the role of Dana White, who is not a member of the TKO board, is bound to be limited to the UFC. UFC is expected to have much less influence on the execution of its parent company’s work than WWE.