Dana White Dismisses Crossover Between WWE & UFC Fans
Dana White does not expect every UFC fan to become a WWE fan anytime soon.
The Endeavor takeover of WWE is complete bringing the sports entertainment giant together with UFC under the umbrella of the new TKO Group. Vince McMahon has become Executive Chairman of TKO and was in New York City along with the likes of UFC’s Dana White to celebrate the launch of the new entity.
Following the merger, an excited UFC Senior EVP and COO Lawrence Epstein told ESPN of his hopes for the future which raised more than a few eyebrows:
“Where we want to get is where every UFC fan is a WWE fan and every WWE fan is a UFC fan.”
WWE & UFC fanbases “completely opposite” says Dana White
UFC CEO Dana White was about the quote at a DWCS press conference and it’s safe to say he doesn’t share the same sentiment in the slightest:
“Lawrence, I love you, one of the dumbest statements of all time. I don’t know why he said that. I don’t even know what to say to that. No. There is no…there is some crossover. Some people like WWE, some people like UFC, some people like both.
“I don’t think there is ever going to be a day where we turn every UFC fan to a WWE fan or every WWE…what’s beautiful about the synergy between these two fanbases is they are very completely opposite. There is very little crossover. Maybe he was misquoted, I hope that was the case because I could not disagree with him more.”
One place where there might be a crossover between the two brands is the stars showcased by each. WWE President Nick Khan has already suggested that more UFC stars could look to extend their career in a WWE ring when their days in MMA come to an end.