Conor McGregor has teased an appearance with WWE, after the professional wrestling company announced that it is merging with the UFC.
During Wrestlemania (1-2 April), the most important weekend of the year for WWE, reports emerged that Endeavor – the parent company of the UFC – was in talks to purchase the pro wrestling brand. Those reports have since been confirmed by an official statement, released on Monday (3 April).
Ahead of the announcement, former dual-weight UFC champion McGregor tweeted on Sunday: “Congrats to the @ufc now worth a cool Proper $12bn. Wow!
“Endeavor [about] to scoop the @WWE now also. Incredible. What a powerhouse!”
The Irishman, 34, then shared a mock image of himself holding a UFC belt and the WWE title, adding: “#itsinevitable”.
The most famous case of an athlete featuring in both WWE and the UFC centres on Brock Lesnar. After leaving WWE in 2004, Lesnar began competing in mixed martial arts and made his UFC debut in 2008. Lesnar went on to win the UFC heavyweight title, before returning to WWE and becoming a champion there – not for the first time. He returned to the UFC for one fight in 2016 but has not featured in the promotion since, instead focusing on WWE.
Phil Brooks, who competed in WWE under the name “CM Punk” and was a champion in the company like Lesnar, fought twice in the UFC – once in 2016 and 2018. Brooks lost both fights, though the latter result was overturned to a No Contest.
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