While the perception was that merging WWE and UFC under one umbrella would lead to even greater growth for both companies, more evidence continued to emerge regarding their negative impact on their parent company's products.
There is a surprising amount of crossover between WWE and UFC. Many fans of both brands watch both products. Many wrestlers have tried their hand at mixed martial arts, and several former UFC stars have made the move to pro wrestling.
That's why when the two global giants merged and went public under the umbrella of TKO Group Holdings in 2023, it seemed like a perfect business match. However, while the companies are again posting strong numbers in 2026, there are also clear signs that TKO's interference and some of the strategies instituted by the parent company are hurting WWE and UFC's potential.
Over the past few years, WWE fans have become frustrated with TKO decision makers like CEO Ari Emmanuel meddling in the company's creative process.
Emanuel has been supportive of board member Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's inconsistent and confusing appearances on WWE content in 2024 and 2025. He was reportedly the one behind using Travis Scott in the lead up to WrestleMania 41, then the rapper dropped out and was never seen again. And this year, he is reportedly the driving force as to why Pat McAfee was included in the main event storyline of Night 1 WrestleMania between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.
WrestleMania 42 ticket sales still lag behind last year's event
However, the biggest disappointment for WWE since the merger has been the company's pricing of tickets and merchandise. This is actually an initiative from TKO, and it's going to have a huge impact on the biggest event of the year.
There have been reports for weeks about slow sales for this month's WrestleMania 42 card. Well, with the event taking place this weekend, it looks like it will be a significantly weaker performance than last year's show in the same building. According to the This year there are 45,767 seats in the fray.
However, last year in the same building, there were a sellout of 58,538 for Night 1 and 60,103 for Night 2. This is a big difference despite there being a better card at this year's event. It seems like holding the event in Las Vegas for the second year in a row was a terrible idea, and the cost makes it much less attractive to people in the area this time.
UFC 327 grosses half of previous events in Miami?
Still, WWE isn't the only country to be affected by the negative impact of TKO. UFC fans have become angry at how poor the events have become as the promotion features cards almost every weekend. Moreover, the talent pool in the company has also reduced.
A big reason for the lack of star power in the UFC is the company's move away from pay-per-view to its $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount. Their business model for 20 years was built on PPVs and giving points upon purchases to top fighters. Since there is no longer any option, the company is not willing to pay the same rates for specific stars.
This is why Jon Jones is not going to return to the company. Conor McGregor still doesn't have a fight scheduled for 2026, and Ronda Rousey is making her MMA comeback on Netflix for the most valuable promotion instead of inside the Octagon.
Well, it seems like the changes made by the TKO merger have caused the UFC's weaker product to cause fans in Florida to lose interest in spending big bucks to go to an event in person. According to X Account MMA Joy, the gate for last weekend's UFC 327 at Miami's Kasia Center was $6.5 million.
The promotion reportedly made more than $11 million for UFC 314, $12 million for UFC 287 and $14 million for UFC 299 at the same venue. So the fallout from UFC 327 this year was massive.
This week brought two more big pieces of evidence that TKO remains bad for WWE and the UFC.
