With the creation of TKO Group Holdings, two big names came under the same corporate umbrella. UFC president Dana White and former WWE authority Vince McMahon went from a “friendly rivalry” to a camaraderie for the sake of business. However, the history between the two companies is as fierce as it gets.

The UFC CEO has often revealed his ‘issues’ with the former WWE CEO, while several other UFC fighters too have gotten into a beef with WWE superstars. So this truly came as a surprise when, in a recent edition of ESPN’s Good Guy / Bad Guy, Chael Sonnen praised Mr. McMahon while addressing the drawbacks that Dana White and the UFC had.

While discussing what makes a great champion, Daniel Cormier asked Sonnen to describe a great modern championship reign. It was while answering this question that Sonnen took Vince McMahon’s name as one of the greatest promoters ever. He stated that McMahon was capable of creating champions who became household names. Why? Because he exactly knew what the fans wanted and how to evoke emotions. “The world’s best promoter turns out to be a man named Dana White. But that was not always true, and before that helm belonged to Dana White, it wasn’t Don King or Bob Arum either. The world’s best promoter was Vince McMahon.”

On the show, Sonnen then talked about the 2016 deal where McMahon passed on the opportunity to buy the UFC for $4 billion, a deal that later went to Endeavor. But why did he skip the purchase? Because according to the WWE CEO, it is difficult to create a star at a promotion where the outcome cannot be controlled. Something that Sonnen agreed with. “When Vince finally passed on the purchase of the UFC, he passed and made a statement: ‘You cannot have a star if you can’t control outcomes.’ And up to that point in time, Vince had been right.”

However, as we all know, Dana White managed to turn things around. So much so that now the UFC is valued much higher compared to the WWE. And what made him stand out? The idea to bring all the best fighters under the same umbrella and make the greatest fight the greatest. With the merger, it seems like things haven’t gone further down south between the two bosses. In fact, as per Dana White, things have gotten better despite a previous poor relationship with the former WWE CEO.

Dana White talks about his relationship with Vince McMahon in the past

Now that WWE and the UFC operate under the TKO umbrella, Dana White and Vince McMahon work together and are obligated to cooperate to make the company do as well as possible. However, although they seem to have a good relationship, this was not always the case. In an interview, Dana White revealed details about his relationship with Vince McMahon. He mentioned that in the past, McMahon tried to harm the UFC for no apparent reason.

However, he also pointed out that he understands this attitude due to McMahon’s extreme competitiveness and that now that the two work together, the relationship between them is very different. “Now that Vince and I are allies, no one’s been a better partner than Vince. Since day one of the deal, it’s like I’m dealing with a different guy. It goes to show that when you oppose him, or he thinks you are opposing him, the guy comes after you blindly. Once you are aligned, Vince is an incredible partner.”

Well, it surely looks like there’s harmony between the two groups now. Especially when McMahon walked out of the WWE and Dana White has finally come out on top as the better of the two with a business that’s growing better and faster than ever. What do you think? Is Dana White a better boss than McMahon? Let us know in the comments.