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Endeavor’s UFC, WWE Tag Team to Form $21B Sports Entertainment Giant

Endeavor’s UFC, WWE Tag Team to Form $21B Sports Entertainment Giant

Endeavor Group Holdings, parent company of mixed martial arts league Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and sports entertainment giant World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will combine to form a new, publicly listed company valued at $21 billion in an all-stock deal.

The new company’s valuation reflects $12.1 billion in enterprise value for UFC and $9.3 billion for WWE. The parties expect $50 million to $100 million in annual cost synergies from the merger.

Endeavor will hold a 51% percent controlling interest in the new company, with existing WWE shareholders owning 49%.

The new company will be led by Ari Emanuel, who will also continue as CEO of Endeavor. WWE co-founder Vince McMahon will be executive chairman of the board and Mark Shapiro will be president and COO of both Endeavor and the new company. Dana White will continue as president of UFC and Nick Khan will serve as president of WWE.

Eleven members of the board of directors – six selected by UFC and five by WWE – will be appointed later.

The transaction represents a contribution price of WWE of approximately $106 per share (before any post-closing dividend). Additionally, UFC and WWE will each contribute cash to the new company so that it holds approximately $150 million.

Endeavor plans to spin out the yet to be named combined company on the public market. It is expected to trade under the ticker “TKO.”

Endeavor first took control of UFC in a private equity backed deal in 2016, gaining full ownership in 2021 at the same time it went public.

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Endeavor Group Holdings

About Joe Palmisano

Joe Palmisano is Editorial Director for Connect Money, where he brings nearly three decades experience of market insights as a financial journalist, analyst and senior portfolio manager for leading financial publications, advisory firms, and hedge funds. In his role as Editorial Director, Joe is responsible for the selection of content and creation of daily business news covering the financial markets, including Alternative Assets, Direct Investment and Financial Advisory services. Before joining Connect Money, Joe was a financial journalist for the Wall Street Journal, regularly publishing feature stories and trend pieces on the foreign exchange, global fixed income and equity markets. Joe parlayed his experience as a financial journalist into roles as a Senior Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager, writing daily and weekly market analysis and managing a FX and US equity portfolio. Joe was also a contributing writer for industry magazines and publications, including SFO Magazine and the CMT Association. Joe earned a B.S.B.A. in Finance from The American University. He holds the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.