UFC heavyweight’s Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa open as betting favorites to join WWE following Endeavor merger
Following the news of the UFC and WWE joining forces as a new company under the control of the Endeavor Group, UFC heavyweight stars Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa have opened up as betting favourites to make the transition into pro-wrestling.
The news has sparked a debate across the mixed martial arts and wrestling scene, with a handful of questions still to be answered. What does this mean for the UFC and WWE?
A debate sparked between both sets of fans following Endeavour’s announcement on whether the UFC roster would have an opportunity to dip their toes into the wrestling scene and vice versa. With that, BetOnline released some rather creative proposals on which fighters could join the WWE and some imaginative UFC/WWE tag team match in the future.
The odds for a UFC/WWE tag team stood at 20/1 for yes, along with a WWE/UFC co-event in 2024 at 5/7 odds for yes, and 1/1 odds for no. The bookmakers also revealed 25/1 odds for UFC President Dana White to become the WWE President.
UFC Heavyweights favorites to join WWE
According to BetOnline, the names most likely from the UFC to join the WWE were Derrick Lewis at 4/1 and Tai Tuivasa at 5/1. Lewis had previously expressed an interest in a WWE appearance in an old post-fight interview.
Next on the list were the Scouse duo that is Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett. McCann at 6/1, and Pimblett at 7/1. Pimblett recently entertained a back-and-forth verbal exchange with AEW World Champion MJF, which resulted in the wrestler attending Pimblett’s fight.
That being said, the list above is missing the biggest personality and entertainer in combat sports, Conor McGregor. McGregor has hinted at an appearance in WWE in the past but has also slandered the company’s legends, such as John Cena. BetOnline placed McGregor at 9/1 odds to appear between the ropes.
When the news officially broke, McGregor was quick to react, posting an image of himself with UFC and WWE world titles strapped over both shoulders, which resulted in Paul Heyman calling him a “Roman Reigns wannabe”.
🇮🇪 @wwe, @ufc, @TheMacLife 🇺🇸 #itsinevitable pic.twitter.com/4m75uwZr23
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 2, 2023
Careful Grampa. I’ll show up and break your jaw in 3 places. https://t.co/dUkpQg1nmV
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 2, 2023
“Careful Grampa. I’ll show up and break your jaw in 3 places.” McGregor responded.
Beneath McGregor BetOnline had numerous notable names suggested, such as Dustin Poirier at 10/1, Amanda Nunes at 14/1, Jon Jones at 20/1 and Israel Adesanya at 20/1.
Which UFC fighters would you like to see make the switch into pro-wrestling? Let us know in the comments!
