Merged WWE/UFC company has a new name

In WWE’s recent SEC filings regarding Endeavor’s pending acquisition of the company, the merged UFC/WWE was referred to as “New Whale Inc.” It was, however, just a placeholder name for the publicly traded entity Endeavor plans to spin-off when the deal is finalized later this year.

They’ve come up with a permanent one. CNBC reported yesterday (May 16) that an Endeavor spokesperson told them the merged WWE/UFC will be called TKO Group Holdings. They’d previously said the new company’s stocks would trade under the ticker symbol “TKO”, so no big surprise they’re sticking with the acronym for “technical knockout” for the official name, too.

Endeavor President & COO Mark Shapiro confirmed the name on the latest Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast. Shapiro also confirmed that WWE and UFC will retain their respective company names under the TKO Group umbrella, which lines up with already announced plans to have Nick Khan and Dana White remain presidents of their respective organizations.

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will also be CEO of TKO Group. Vince McMahon will serve as its executive chairman.