How would UFC look like in 2023 if Vince McMahon had let son Shane buy it in the early 2000s?

The UFC and WWE are now part of TKO Group Holdings, representing a corporate merger that most fans from both industries would have found unthinkable years ago. In fact, the idea of the two organizations operating under the same corporate roof was unthinkable even last year.

Yet in 2023, the respective leading giants of the MMA and professional wrestling industries are now part of the same media conglomerate. While shocking, the foundation for it was first laid back in the early 2000s, when Shane McMahon, son of Vince McMahon, expressed an interest in buying the MMA promotion.

In a recent interview on BigBoyTV, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that back in 2000, Shane McMahon failed to convince his father to buy the promotion. He tried again in 2004, but his efforts were unsuccessful. But what if they weren't? What would the UFC have looked like under the leadership of the McMahon family?

While it's impossible to say so with any certainty, there is a likelihood that the promotion would have given greater importance to being a spectacle. Fighter walkouts might be more reminiscent of Israel Adesanya's famous arena entrance at UFC 243, where he and a group of dancers danced on the way to the octagon.

Similarly, his Undertaker-esque entrance at UFC 276 would have been a more common sight. Fighters like Colby Covington and Henry Cejudo, whose entire selling points are their gimmicks, would be welcomed more than they already are. The importance of promos and video packages would also be heightened.

There would be a greater effort in the video packages used to generate hype for upcoming pay-per-views and specific fights, especially massive rivalries like Conor McGregor's feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Fighter nicknames and aliases would have also been subject to change.

With WWE often having ownership of their wrestlers' names, it is likely that fighters would be contractually obligated to use WWE-approved and trademarked nicknames as their primary aliases. It is also possible that there would be a tighter leash on the subject matter that trash-talkers explore due to Vince McMahon's reputation for micro-management.

Furthermore, anything that courts too much controversy would likely be dealt with in a more heavy-handed manner. For example, Jon Jones' legal issues, especially his domestic violence incident, would have led to graver consequences as WWE shows lower tolerance for its athletes committing similar offenses.

The promotion's top athletes would also serve as brand ambassadors to the same degree that the likes of John Cena and Becky Lynch have acted as brand ambassadors for WWE. So Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, at the height of their popularity, would have surely fulfilled similar roles.

While it's impossible to determine exactly what would have changed, there is no doubt that the UFC would have been a very different place under the direction of the McMahon family.