Kamaru Usman has established himself as a name in UFC for years, and now the fighter has shown interest in WWE. On X, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque shared that Usman recently visited WWE’s headquarters in Connecticut.

Levesque’s post got plenty of attention by fans, many of whom hope to see Usman transition from the Octagon to the squared circle. One fans noted that “I speak for EVERYONE when I say We want Usman vs Bad Bunny,” pitching a match that’d feature the Grammy award-winning artist. Another fan added that “WWE and UFC collab is all we want to see” while a third asked if this was a sign Usman is coming to WWE.

Like many Superstars competing in WWE today, Usman boasts a background in amateur wrestling, where he became a NCAA Division II national champion. In UFC, Usman is a former Welterweight Champion. His most recent fight came at UFC 294 in October 2023.

WWE And UFC

In 2023, WWE and UFC came together under TKO Group Holdings, merging two of the biggest names. Quickly, names from both sides began appearing for the other, demonstrating the synergy within TKO. WWE names have become regulars at UFC events while Michael Chandler was on Raw in 2024 with a message for Conor McGregor.

WWE and UFC Propel TKO Stock to 93% Growth in 2024

At the recent UFC 311 event, CM Punk teased that Belal Muhammad could be entering the Men’s Royal Rumble match, though wouldn’t promise not to eliminate him. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on WWE and UFC as there’s plenty of potential crossover between the two parties under TKO.

Could UFC fighter Belal Muhammad compete in this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match? According to CM Punk, it’s not out of the question. Backstage at UFC 311, the pair were interviewed by Cathy Kelley. When the WWE interviewer brought up the possibility of Muhammad entering the 2025 Royal Rumble, the fighter responded, “You never know what’s going to happen.” However, if Muhammad does compete, don’t expect an alliance with Punk, who made “no promises” about not tossing him over the top rope on February 1.

Punk has already confirmed his participation in this year’s Royal Rumble match, a contest in which he was the runner-up last year. Despite his decorated wrestling career, Punk has yet to secure a Royal Rumble victory and hopes that this year will finally bring him one step closer to headlining WrestleMania, another feat he’s yet to achieve.

Learn More About CM Punk’s WWE Royal Rumble Past

Belal Muhammad is the latest UFC star to show interest in transitioning to WWE. In recent years, fighters like Conor McGregor have teased a WWE crossover, though McGregor’s multiple controversies make such a move increasingly unlikely. Similarly, Oban Elliot hinted at an appearance at WWE Bash in Berlin last year, but that did not materialize. With WWE and UFC now united under the TKO umbrella, the potential for crossover between the two organizations is greater than ever. Whether Muhammad will step out of the Octagon and into the squared circle on February 1 remains to be seen.

Variety, the long-running magazine covering the entertainment industry, named All-Elite Wrestling owner Tony Khan and several members of WWE parent company TKO, including Nick Khan to its “Dealmakers 2024” in an article published on the magazine’s website on Wednesday.

Khan, AEW and the TKO board were one of the few non-agency or law firms named to the Dealmakers list this year, which included Audible and several lobbying and entertainment law firms.

Tony Khan was credited with AEW’s new three-year deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, five years after the company aired its first show on WBD television.

In October, five years to the week after Khan launched professional wrestling promotion AEW as a direct competitor to Vince McMahon’s long-dominant WWE, he closed a multi-year media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, worth a reported $185 million a year, that calls for AEW’s shows and events to be broadcast on TBS and TNT and stream on Max. The company is now valued at more than $2 billion, making it the third-most-valuable combat sports company in the world.

Ain’t bragging if it’s true: “Our new arrangement signifies that AEW will make history as the first professional wrestling promotion to simulcast events weekly on top cable channels and a top streaming platform,” says Khan.

The article called 2024 a year where “deals weren’t as plentiful or as rich, but necessity being the mother of invention, often more innovative.”

Longtime World Wrestling Entertainment executive and president Nick Khan, along with fellow TKO executives Ariel Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and Andrew Schleimer, were also named. Variety cited the Endeavor’s 2023 acquisition of WWE and WWE’s deal with Netflix.

Last year, Endeavor merged Ultimate Fighting Championship with World Wrestling Entertainment under the TKO Group Holdings banner. In January 2024, TKO’s leadership quadrumvirate closed a $5.2 billion, 10-year deal to make Netflix the exclusive home of WWE’s flagship show “Raw” in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Latin America and other territories beginning in January 2025. As part of the pact, Netflix will be the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. from that date forward, giving roughly 80% of international territories immediate access to 100% its content, with the rest of the globe filling out their WWE lineups as outstanding deals expire.

“While the money is extraordinarily important, the downstream impact and ancillary benefits to being with the distributor and just south of 300 million homes globally was something that got us very excited,” says Schleimer.

Other members of the list included:

• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, the second-largest lobbying firm in the U.S.
• Alter Kendrick and Baron, music lawyers who closed $1 billion in publishing and mater recording acquisitions in 2024.
• Audible’s executive team
• Perry, Plashuk, Lefebvre and Hill of Covington and Burling, law firm specializing in entertainment acquisitions
• David Wright Tremaine, litigation law firm now advising on major entertainment projects
• Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb and Dang, entertainment law firm
• Nina Shaw of Del Shaw Moonves Tnaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb and Dang
• DLA Piper, Hollywood legal firm
• Francisco Arias of Fifth Season
• Fox Rotschild, lawyers and talent reps

The magazine credited those on the list for maneuvering the economic ups and downs of the streaming bubble, COVID-19 and inflation, as well as strikes by the writers and actors unions.

Hulk Hogan did not appear at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, as the Hall of Famer instead played a role in the main event of UFC Tampa. Hogan was part of the entourage who walked out with Colby Covington for his fight against Joaquin Buckley. Not only did Hogan back Covington for his walk-out, but the fighter also entered to Hogan’s iconic WWE theme song.

Despite Covington having the power of Hulkamania on his side, this wasn’t enough for him to secure the win. Buckley defeated Covington via TKO in the third round as doctors ruled that Covington was not in a fit state to continue.

Hogan and Covington have both been vocal with their support for President-Elect Trump, with Covington arriving at the arena with a pendant of Trump’s head. Trump was present at UFC 296 when Covington lost to Leon Edwards, but didn’t stick around for Covington’s post-fight comments, many of which spoke highly of Trump.

Hulk Hogan Hints at Joining Trump Administration as Fitness Advocate

Hogan’s appearance at UFC Tampa further demonstrates the ties between WWE and UFC that grew stronger last year with the launch of TKO Group Holdings. Since then, Superstars have regularly been sighted at UFC events, which Michael Chandler called out Conor McGregor during an episode of WWE Raw earlier this year.

Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Hulk Hogan, as the Hall of Famer continues to make his presence felt in and out of WWE.