Unless you’ve been living under a rock this weekend, WrestleMania 41 went down in Las Vegas this weekend. Taking place across two nights, the reported (by none other than Stone Cold) attendance sat at 124,693, in what was a huge event.
Headlining night one of WrestleMania 41 was UFC vet, CM Punk, taking on Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in a match which saw phenomenal storytelling, which took place over a number of years, it seemed.
Night two of WrestleMania 41 saw John Cena take to the ring for the final time and become World Champion for a record-breaking seventeenth time.
— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2025
In what was a mega-event, the UFC and Dana White can learn a lot from their TKO partner, the WWE and the head of their CCO, Paul Levesque, more commonly known as HHH. White was in attendance at night one of WrestleMania 41 and didn’t get the greatest response, recieving heavy boos when he was shown on screen, making for awkward viewing.
We take a look at three things the UFC can learn from WrestleMania 41 and the WWE.
What the UFC can Learn from WrestleMania 41
Lean into Storylines!
Something that the WWE is world-class at is storytelling. Some storylines began at the Royal Rumble, taking place on February 1st, leading to a two-month promotional push. But some began many years previously. Cena’s farewell tour began in July 2024, where The Rock began to dorp hints at what could happen with then champion, Cody Rhodes.
CM Punk’s storyline began in November 2023 and constantly bubbled in the background, leading to the WrestleMania 41 night one headliner. The storytelling in the match itself leads to exciting matches for all three men going forward.
No one does storytelling like the WWE… but the UFC could try. There are plenty of potential storylines that the UFC could push; however, it chooses not to. The only mega storyline that has come to light in recent years is the grudge match between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. The Brazilian had defeated Adesanya twice in the kickboxing ring beforehand, however, this was MMA, where Adesanya had far more experience. It was great storytelling and paid off massively.
There are a number of big storylines that could be ‘sold’ to UFC fans in the near future. First, a potential match-up between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett, whose ‘beef’ started in 2022.
Next is the old school vs the new school at heavyweight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. The two men seem to be on a collision course; however, they aren’t booked…yet.
Finally, is a bitter grudge match between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards. After his UFC London win back in 2019, Masvidal attacked Edwards, which should have led to the two men fighting each other in the octagon. It wasn’t to be, however, as each man went their separate ways. Now, however, in 2025, the fight has never made more sense. Edwards has lost the belt and is as far away from a title shot as he has been in many years. Masvidal is all but retired, however, did say that he would make the walk again for one person only… Leon Edwards.
🚨| Jorge Masvidal tells @arielhelwani that he will return to the UFC this year and is looking to fight Leon Edwards in his return. 👀😳 pic.twitter.com/SBvw3d2Rsg
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 31, 2025
Make the Most Out of Entrances (Again)
Some of the most memorable moments in WWE history are the amazing entrances that some of their superstars make. They go down in history as aura-defining moments, and nothing changed at WrestleMania 41. John Cena stuck to his word and produced a very muted entrance with no graphics, no theatrics and no flashy lights. Iconic.
This is definitely not the John Cena entrance we’re used to #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/v8Atp6qk9R
— USA Network (@USANetwork) April 21, 2025
CM Punk’s night one entrance featured a live band singing his iconic ‘Cult of Personality’ entrance theme tune, which got the crowd hyped for his main event slot (the first of his illustrious WWE career).
CM Punk’s entrance with a live performance from Living Colour 🔥
(via @WWE)pic.twitter.com/xho8UxpD7R
— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) April 20, 2025
The WWE women’s champion, Tiffany Stratton, received a very ‘on-brand’ Barbie playhouse-themed entrance ahead of her title match against Charlotte Flair, which really helped set the tone for her fun match in her first WrestleMania match.
Tiffany Stratton’s custom Barbie entrance.#WrestleMania
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 20, 2025
The UFC should certainly take note. The fighter entrances are more often than not extremely muted. The only difference is that occasionally they’ll make the effort, but only for megastars. Conor McGregor’s UFC 189 was amazing as he was sung out by Sinhead O’Connor. Israel Adesanya’s UFC 243 dance routine was different, however, not something he has stuck to in recent fights. About as iconic as it gets is Alex Pereira’s bow and arrow walkout routine; however, that’s about it.
UFC, take note!
Two Day Events/Back-to-Back Events
It’s happened before but on a small scale. The UFC have, only on a handful of occasions, put on events on back-to-back nights. Cast your mind back to UFC 200 at the T-Mobile Arena where Amanda Nunes defeated Miesha Tate in the main event. The night before saw Joanna Jedrzejczyk retain her belt, however, in the smaller MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Why doesn’t this happen more often?
Granted, the UFC can’t stack back to back cards like the WWE did with WrestleMania 41. It would leave the rest of the year’s cards too shallow. But, they can certainly put on fight night cards the day before PPVs, like they did for UFC 200.
With fans struggling to get tickets, ticket prices for PPVs on the rise and the quality of Apex cards diminishing, it’s time for change. Give fans the opportunity to get tickets to either event. Provide fans with the chance for cheaper tickets to the fight night event. Improve the quality of cards and give the fans what they want.
The UFC can only dream of attendances of over 60,000 for one event, let alone twice in as many nights. The UFC record attendance sits at 57,127 for UFC 243 in 2019. It’s time for Dana White and the UFC to deliver and they have the blueprint to do so from the WWE.
The announced crowd for Day 1 of WrestleMania is 61,467, a sell out. #vegas #WrestleMania #wwe pic.twitter.com/Addw3htkft
— Mick Akers (@mickakers) April 20, 2025
