Dana White stood next to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon at the launch of TKO Group Holdings Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange, and the man standing next to him was undoubtedly a long-time rival.
Now that both parties are under the same parent company, WME, White believes past transgressions are behind them. Things have definitely changed.
“Vince and I didn’t have a great relationship,” White recently told Sports Illustrated . “He tried to fuck me multiple times, for no reason, just to fuck me. But that’s in the past. Now Vince and I are allies, and there’s no one better to work with than Vince.”
“…from day one of the deal, it was like I was dealing with a different person. It showed that when you go against him, or he thinks you go against him, he’s going to follow you blindly. Once you’re on the same page, , Vince has been an incredible partner.”
While not the same product, the demographic similarities between the UFC and WWE have long been consistent in public discourse. Over the years, White has acknowledged McMahon’s competitive nature while also publicly downplaying his competitive sentiments.
In 2018, White attended WrestleMania 34 to watch former UFC champion Ronda Rousey perform against Stephanie McMahon. In 2022, Vince competed with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H at UFC 276 following the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view that night in Las Vegas.
White said his relationship with Stephanie and Triple H has always been a happy one. It was just to get Vince to come around, which is what happened.
White now even calls McMahon “the Michael Jordan of business.”
“We’ve probably had 20 phone calls since the deal was made,” White said. “These are all value-added conversations — working with Vince and raising the bar for both companies. … Vince McMahon, man, he’s an absolute savage. Even with some of the things we’ve been through in the past, I respect that. It. I love killers. He’s definitely a killer. “He’s the Michael Jordan of business. “
The UFC-WWE merger as TKO officially took place in September. 12. While some speculated this could lead to more crossover between the two brands, White was quick to dismiss any possibility of product changes to cater to the general fan base.