Shane McMahon Meets With UFC Officials

[Turd Ferguson]

I remember hearing around the time when Shane resigned from the WWE that Dana and the Fertittas were going to be welcoming the opportunity for people who wanted to be silent partners with the UFC to be able to do so. They were going to sell 10-15% of their ownership stake. The Fertittas own 90%, and Dana owns 10%.

The thought of Shane possibly buying in crossed my mind, because he seems like he's a huge fan of MMA in general. Back when PRIDE was up for sale, it was rumored that he and Vince were considering buying it, but things fell through for one reason or another, and the UFC guys bought it out.

I came across this just now, and Shane has in fact met with Dana and the Fertittas.

Current WWE executive Shane McMahon reportedly had a meeting with UFC executives, including UFC president Dana White, reports the Wrestling Observer.

McMahon announced his departure from WWE last month and will depart the company on January 1, 2010. McMahon did not disclose his future projects at the time he announced his resignation, but speculation was that he would be entering the MMA industry.

Dana White did not comment on the meeting with McMahon during yesterday's UFC 105 event.

 

[gd]

Meh, not a big deal. Shane's a big MMA fan and has the money, so why not invest some of it? I don't think he'll have any say in the UFC and this won't mean the UFC going head to head with the WWE or anything.

 

[INDYjon22]

This could be very big. I dont know how big a fan of mma Shane is, you said he seems like a pretty big fan and I didnt know Shane and Vince had considered buying Pride. Id be more interested to know if he is just buying stock or meeting them for a possible position within the UFC and if so what that position would be. I am very interested what this will lead to. Need some more information first though.

 

[X]

I knew this was coming from the moment he turned in his resignation. Shane's a huge MMA fan who has been at countless UFC events and who has been trying to get his father involved in the MMA business for years. He must have realized that his dad was just never going to go for it, so he's going out on his own to get involved in something he loves. I like it, I hope he gets involved with the UFC.

 

[SavageTaker]

This comes as no surprised. Like everyone else has said, Shane is a pretty big MMA fan and for some time now, he has wanted to get involved with it. I’m not really sure how I would feel about Shane joining the UFC as an investor. It would all depend on what he does and how much power he has. I guess with his background, he could definitely do a lot of good things in UFC. I’ll just wait and see.

Also, I wonder how Vince would react if he found out his son might join UFC even though he has said he doesn’t consider them competition.

 

[Shocky]

This is more of a loss to the WWE then a gain for Shane McMahon. Rumors have been around forever that Shane is a big big fan of MMA, and for him to take an interest at this point in a growing product is a smart investment.

Speculation from here on out:
I still feel Shane leaving the WWE is a huge blow. This is the type of direction Shane wanted the company to go into. Shane wanted to incorporate more of the "realism" provided by the MMA, and that's why you saw matches end in KO's, and ref stoppages last year. Obviously Shane lost out, and unfortunately we're stuck with the quagmire of crap that is C-List celebrities hosting Raw and the Stephanie H brand of "pseudo-entertainment". Again, big loss for the WWE that Shane is gone.

What Shane McMahon potentially brings to the Table if rumors are true:

First of all, Shane McMahon is about as internet savvy as anyone you'll find. This guy single handedly made WWE.com relevant about ten years ago. He simply knows his audience. 2nd, you are dealing with a man whose family has 4 generations of promoting cards catered to the male demographic that the UFC wants and the WWE Shuns. It seems like a natural fit. Shane knows TV, he knows Promos, and he knows how to get people to buy pay per views.