TKO Makes Major Announcement Regarding WWE & UFC Strategic Partnerships

TKO Group Holdings today announced it will be merging the UFC and WWE's global partnership teams into one. TKO claims that combining the two units will provide brands access to "one of the most formidable sports marketing portfolios in the world." The premium sports and entertainment media conglomerate believes that, as one force, WWE and UFC can offer marketers a variety of enhanced benefits, including increased brand visibility and unique integration possibilities across WWE and UFC's leading content. TKO is aiming to leverage the global reach of both brands.

"Since Endeavor acquired UFC in 2016, UFC's global partnerships business has become a significant growth area," Andrew Schleimer, TKO's CFO, said. "And we believe WWE's partnerships business has similar potential. Together, UFC and WWE create a sports marketing powerhouse, with hundreds of live events per year and a reach that's equal to, or better than, the world's biggest sports properties. The newly integrated global partnerships team will offer premium brands the opportunity to integrate and activate within UFC's and WWE's extraordinarily popular content to engage their massive fan bases around the world."

The new combined team will be led by Grant Norris-Jones, who has been promoted to EVP and Head of Global Partnerships at TKO. In recent years, Norris-Jones has been an integral part of UFC's global partnerships unit, driving the brand to six straight years of record revenue. He will work alongside Endeavor's partnerships executive Lou Koskovolis, who now takes on an expanded role as TKO's EVP of Global Partnerships. Following the conclusion of WrestleMania 39, it was announced that WWE and UFC would be merging under the Endeavor umbrella to form a new sports and entertainment company. Five months later, TKO was officially founded.