Dana White disagrees with UFC Vice President's "dumb" statement immediately after TKO formation 

Dana White doesn't believe that UFC fans will ever truly become WWE fans and vice versa. The UFC's senior executive vice president and COO, Lawrence Epstein, recently claimed that he sees a future UFC and WWE fan crossover potentially taking their new merger to new, dizzying heights.

Epstein was referring to the newly formed sports entertainment company, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. The $21.4 billion publicly traded firm is the result of the UFC's parent company, Endeavor, taking over the WWE and merging it with the premier MMA promotion.

Considering how both combat sports promotions boast massive and loyal fanbases, it's unsurprising to see senior executives like Epstein envision grand possibilities. In a recent interview with ESPN, the UFC COO said:

"Where we want to get is where every UFC fan is a WWE fan and every WWE fan is a UFC fan."

During a post-Dana White's Contender Series press conference, Dana White was asked for his thoughts on Lawrence Epstein's statements. Chuckling light-heartedly at the statement, White replied:

"Lawrence, I love you, one of the dumbest statements of all time. I don’t know why he said that. I don’t even know what to say to that. No, there’s no – there’s some crossover... I don’t think there’s ever gonna be a day where we turn every UFC fan into a WWE fan or every WWE fan into a UFC fan."

Catch White's comments below (11:50):

---

Dana White becomes CEO of UFC following merger with WWE

Dana White is no longer the president of the UFC. After it was officially announced that the UFC-WWE merger would operate under the TKO banner, White was named the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of the world's biggest MMA promotion.

For context, a CEO is usually the highest-ranking executive in a corporate structure. Meanwhile, a president normally acts as a top-level executive who plays second fiddle to the CEO. Lorenzo Fertitta was one of the previous CEOs of the UFC, placing Dana White as the promotion's president.

The leadership structure under the new TKO Group Holdings, Inc. company will look similar to the old corporate structure. Lawrence Epstein will remain the senior executive vice president and COO of the UFC. Meanwhile, Nick Khan will continue as the WWE president.

The TKO board of directors is set to be headed by Vince McMahon as executive chairman. The board consists of 11 members, including Endeavor supremo Ari Emanuel.