Dana White is the current president of the UFC (Image credit: Getty)
Dana White claims UFC 287 in Miami will be one of the biggest gates of all-time for the organization
The Kaseya Center in Miami hosts UFC 287. Jorge Masvidal, a native of Miami and one of the city’s most famous athletes overall, will be competing on the card. In the co-main event of the night, Masvidal will fight Gilbert Burns.
After the success of Saturday’s UFC 287 event, UFC president Dana White has stated that the promotion will return to “The 305”. Even though the event is still a few days away, Dana White is already excited to return to Miami for the first time since 2004.
“Last time we came to Miami was 20 years ago, and we did a gate of like $446,000. That was 20 years ago. We came back this time, and we did one of the all-time biggest gates. This is the biggest gate outside of Las Vegas and outside The Garden. We’ll definitely be coming back to Miami.”
White further claimed that Jorge Masvidal’s involvement on the card was vital for the success of the event:
“Whenever you come to somebody’s hometown who’s a superstar like he is, it’s always fun. It’s exciting. It’s energetic. You know when they both come out of the tunnel on Saturday night, it’s just that goose bump moment. So to answer your question, yes.”
In a historic move, WWE and UFC merged for a whopping $21.4 Billion. The merger has sparked concerns about job cuts in the wrestling industry, which has exploded in popularity around the world in recent decades.
Mark Shapiro, COO of Endeavor, discussed strategies for reducing expenses and hiring top personnel.
According to Shapiro, these include human resources, finance, legal, communications, production, distribution, and marketing.
According to a report by News18, Shapiro hinted at layoffs, stating:
“Anything from H.R. to finance to legal to communications production to distribution and marketing. Across every area, you’re going to find cost synergies. You’re going to integrate and ultimately highlight and appoint the best and brightest teams.”
It has been estimated that UFC is worth roughly $12.1 billion, while WWE is worth around $9.3 billion. The proprietors of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Endeavor Group Holding Inc., will possess 51% of the business, with WWE shareholders owning the remaining 49%.
The WWE and the UFC will be merged into a single publicly traded entity called TKO. Since Endeavor’s acquisition, UFC stock prices have gone up steadily as well. When Endeavor acquired the UFC in 2016, Shapiro predicted that the firm will follow the same model with WWE.
Vince McMahon, 77, returned to his post as chairman of WWE after taking a leave of absence in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations made against him by female performers. Many wrestling fans now believe McMahon should be fired because of the cover-up hush money he gave the wrestlers for their quiet.
According to insiders at the firm, McMahon’s future at Endeavor was a hot topic of discussion amongst fans.
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