Despite UFC and WWE now operating under the same umbrella, WWE’s chief content officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, doesn’t see more talent exchange happening soon, but hinted at potential combined events in the future.
UFC and WWE are now under the same management, TKO Group Holdings. This has sparked questions about possible crossover events between the two.
Michael Chandler recently showed up on Monday Night Raw, calling out Conor McGregor. Not long after, Rey Mysterio Jr. helped promote the UFC Mexico City card. But Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s chief content officer, doesn’t see more talent exchanges happening soon.
Levesque shared his thoughts on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast. “That sport is so tough,” he said. He mentioned that even though some WWE stars have strong amateur backgrounds, it’s a different world when punches and kicks come into play.
Levesque was hesitant to predict which WWE stars could succeed in UFC. “There’s so many factors to that,” he said.
Logan Paul, however, was quick to volunteer. He’s been hinting at fighting for years, especially after boxing against Floyd Mayweather and Dillon Danis. He has a wrestling background, placing fifth in the state during his senior year at Westlake High in Ohio.
“Send me,” Paul said. “I wrestled. I wrestle now. I would do it. I would totally do it. For the right dance partner, yeah, I would love to do a UFC fight.”
Levesque, though, didn’t seem too keen on sending his performers to UFC. He thinks UFC CEO Dana White feels the same about sending his top fighters to WWE.
Despite their business relationship, Levesque knows UFC and WWE are very different. “While there’s similarities to what we do because it’s combat-centric, we couldn’t be any more different,” he explained.
Levesque recalled a conversation with Dana White. They were discussing UFC’s recent investment in the China Performance Institute. White was anxious about a pay-per-view event featuring a Chinese fighter. If she won, it would be great for business. If not, it could be disastrous.
Levesque pointed out the difference between their sports. In WWE, he knows the outcome. In UFC, it’s unpredictable. “It’s hard to blend the two, except for when it works. But they almost have to be separate,” he said.
So, don’t expect Jon Jones to challenge Cody Rhodes in the ring anytime soon. And Roman Reigns probably won’t be joining the UFC heavyweight title race.
Still, Levesque promised there will be opportunities for UFC and WWE to collaborate. Just not in the way fans might expect when they hear “crossover.”
“I think that’s all on the table to do, but their athletes are pretty busy, ours are pretty busy,” Levesque said. He mentioned that you might see more UFC stars appearing at WWE events and vice versa.
Levesque also hinted at combined events in the same region. “Maybe it’s a Friday and there’s a Smackdown, and then Saturday there’s a UFC fight, and then Sunday there’s something WWE. So we’re looking at experiences like that and different ways to combine the two.”