Older UFC Fighters Going To WWE Contradicts Company’s Recruitment Goals

WWE and UFC’s merger into TKO Holdings Group under the Endeavor umbrella made a ton of headlines. Those WWE fans are still wondering how it will change the company’s product as well. On top of it all, the possibilities of crossovers are also unavoidable.

On Tuesday, September 12th, TKO Group Holdings was established, officially uniting WWE and UFC under the same organization. A lot of unanswered questions remain right now, especially what kind of fresh entertainment both companies will be able to provide for fans.

To promote the merger, TKO released a video highlighting WWE and UFC, emphasizing the group’s status as a “premium sports, entertainment, and media company.”

UFC COO Lawrence Epstein expressed the aim of having “every UFC fan as a WWE fan.” Dana White criticized as “one of the dumbest statements of all time.”

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the potential for talent crossover rather than fan overlap. It was mentioned that there had been discussions about the possibility of UFC fighters who are no longer in their prime in the octagon transitioning to WWE if they possess the right personality.

“UFC’s a very different animal than WWE when it comes to older talent because older talent in pro-wrestling can still be marketable, as long as they can talk and as long as you push them.”

“Whereas in fighting, you have to be able to beat guys in fights. There was some talk of the idea that some guys, not everyone obviously, but some people with good personalities in UFC that may be past their fighting prime could then go to WWE.”

“Of course it’s possible, but with WWE, so much of what they’re trying to do is get guys in their early 20s and college athletes, as opposed to… I mean, look, if Conor McGregor wanted to do it, but Conor McGregor’s got so much money, he’s not gonna do WWE except for like a one-shot thing.”

“Every now and then there might be like a Matt Riddle, or a Tom Lawlor for that matter, a guy who did UFC for a while and then got into pro-wrestling, who always wanted to be in pro-wrestling at other points.”

“So those guys, that could happen. But I don’t think that’s gonna be a regular thing, because there’s people going like, ‘Oh it’s gonna be like Inoki’, and it’s not gonna be.”

We will have to see what both companies rosters look like in a year from now. UFC and WWE are certainly entering into a brand-new period for their companies, and that might bring big business along the way.

WWE is always looking for good crossover talent. UFC might be able to provide some future stars, but World Wrestling Entertainment will not change their focus on younger talent that they can build toward the future.

What’s your take on WWE bringing in older UFC fighters? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you think!