Vince McMahon reportedly tried to sign Conor McGregor for a WWE match at WrestleMania 34, but it wouldn’t be the first time he tried to nab UFC talent.
Former WWE star Enzo Amore said in an interview with Julian Dorey that McMahon had plans for him and Conor McGregor to meet in a wrestling match.
WWE has often expressed an interest in working with the controversial Irish fighter, particularly at the height of his popularity.
There have been several other UFC stars McMahon has tried to tempt over to wrestling, too, with the owner once offering $100,000 to one icon to simply no-show a Dana White event.
Vince McMahon offered Mike Goldberg $100,000 to skip UFC event
McMahon and White would often have a not-so-friendly rivalry when it came to being the dominant force in combat sports.
UFC has subsequently overtaken WWE as the most popular combat sport, but back in the day McMahon tried his hardest to keep hold of his crown.
Speaking on You’re Welcome, UFC legend Chael Sonnen said that McMahon tried to get commentator Mike Goldberg to sabotage the MMA company.
“Vince McMahon contacts Mike Goldberg and he tells Mike Goldberg, ‘I will give you a hundred thousand dollars to no-call, no-show the UFC on Friday,” explained Sonnen.
“So Goldberg doesn’t get to warn anybody,” the star added. “He just can’t show up and he can’t call in. He just needs to stick them without an announcer.”
The plan didn’t work out for the WWE owner as Goldberg stayed loyal to UFC president Dana White.
“Goldberg does the right thing and the very first person he calls is Dana and Vince tells [Goldberg], ‘This call never happened and I will wire you this money for your work,’” revealed Sonnen.
WWE and McMahon have had plenty of success with past UFC stars, with the likes of Ken Shamrock and Ronda Rousey competing in both sports.
Six stars who have competed in both WWE and MMA
There is often a crossover between both MMA and WWE, with several names competing for both companies.
Brock Lesnar is perhaps the most famous of them all, having held the top belt in both illustrious companies.
Elsewhere, the likes of Ronda Rousey and Ken Shamrock had popular careers in both disciplines, while the likes of Bobby Lashley and Shayna Baszler were equally impressive.
Some haven’t stood the test of MMA after a prolific professional wrestling career, with CM Punk’s weak run in MMA the best example.
Elsewhere, the likes of Dave Bautista and Paige VanZant have forged careers in both MMA and professional wrestling.