Vince McMahon Had The Power To Essentially Kill The UFC

Published on November 12th, 2022 12:16 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Vince Mc Mahon, the WWE owner is famously competitive. It seems hard to believe, in this day and age, that the UFC was struggling for its very survival at one point.

The fact of the matter is that the money behind the UFC, the Fertitta Brothers, were very close to pulling the plug on the entire operation.

After purchasing the UFC, the Fertitta brothers were tired of losing money.

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The story about how the UFC finally turned around their operation is well-known.

The company decided to spend a few million dollars on a show called "The Ultimate Fighter".

This was a last-ditch move to save the company - if the Ultimate Fighter didn't pan out, the Fertitta brothers were almost certainly going to shut the entire thing down.

We all know about how the legendary fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar captured the attention of fight fans.

We all know about how the UFC managed to gain traction as a result of this fight, which ended up saving the company.

What some might not know is that the WWE's Vince McMahon could have squashed the UFC like a bug if he felt like it.

The UFC found a home for the first season of the Ultimate Fighter - Spike TV. The UFC didn't have the best reputation at the time, so finding a television station that would air the Ultimate Fighter was no easy feat.

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The problem? Vince McMahon and the WWE, as part of their deal with Spike TV, could veto any show that followed Monday Night Raw.

The UFC and Spike TV wanted to air The Ultimate Fighter after Monday Night Raw.

The WWE, however, had veto power.

Paul Heyman, who is a well-known WWE talent, proclaimed in the past that he advised Vince McMahon to veto The Ultimate Fighter being aired after Monday Night Raw.

McMahon, however, declined to do so, which probably ended up saving the UFC.

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Vince McMahon is famously competitive, and it's hard to believe that he wouldn't have vetoed the UFC following Monday Night Raw if he honestly thought that they were a threat to his business.

McMahon and UFC President Dana White have had a hot-and-cold friendship over the years, though White has always been quick to mention the fact that McMahon could have destroyed the UFC, but chose not to.

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