There is no doubt that Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC have exploded over the past couple of years. The UFC recently sold for an insane $4 billion dollars. Not surprising that WWE is looking to capitalize on the popularity of the sport at their biggest event of the year.
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According to the recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required but recommended), WWE is trying to work out a deal that would bring one of the stars of UFC to Wrestlemania 33 in Orlando, Florida.
The report mentions that Ronda Rousey is option number one. She is scheduled to fight at UFC 207 on December 30th. She has mentioned in interviews that it could be the last fight of her career. She is an avid pro-wrestling fan and correlates well with WWE’s current women’s revolution movement.
Another name high on the list is Conor McGregor. There are some rumors that he has some heat with guys in WWE from his comments several months ago where he trashed wrestling. He is UFC’s biggest star though and I am sure Vince McMahon would love to use him (and his popularity) to sell tickets.
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The last name mentioned is Paige VanZant. She is the lesser known of the three. She recently finished in second place on Dancing With The Stars. She was rumored to appear at Summerslam but chose to fight inside the octagon instead. She would be the lesser known option to casual fans.
I think it is smart by WWE to try to capitalize off the success of MMA right now. Especially since pro wrestling and mixed martial arts share similar aspects that could help build WWE’s audience. A fan of MMA might think wrestling is stupid, until Conor McGregor appears on the show and does a segment. You never know, they could convert some fans!
Let us know what you think in the comment section below!