Talk about a clash of titans.
Billionaire WWE CEO Vince McMahon challenged UFC president Dana White to a fight – either in the UFC or at WWE Wrestlemania, White admitted to Canadian news outlet RDS (via MMA Mania) this weekend. White turned down the challenge, because he felt the 67-year-old McMahon was “too old.”
“Vince wanted to fight me — swear to God,” White said. “He called me up, said, ‘Let’s do it. We can do it in the UFC, or let’s do it at WrestleMania.’ And I said, ‘You are crazy.’”
The Wrestling Observer backed up White’s claim, reporting that McMahon wanted a fight between himself and White as the co-headliner at Wrestlemania XXVII in 2011. It’s unclear if McMahon was hoping for an actual mixed martial arts fight, like the ones in White’s UFC, or a WWE-like scripted match.
“I’ve always said it and I’ll say it again, I respect Vince very much,” White said. “But Vince is too old to be fighting anybody.”
McMahon, still in excellent shape for his age, has taken the WWE ring in a wrestling match as recently as this month. White, 43, used to be a boxer and boxing instructor.
Both men have taken their respective companies to prominence due to their bombastic personalities and made boatloads of money in the process. White’s net worth is estimated at more than $150 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com, while McMahon is worth a little more than a billion.
There has been some crossover between the UFC in the past. Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar rose to fame in WWE and is now back with the pro wrestling organization. Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn also competed in the UFC and worked for WWE.
Wrestlemania XXIX comes to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on April 7. That will be headlined by The Rock taking on John Cena. The UFC brings its own show to the Garden State on April 27. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones meets Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 at Prudential Center in Newark.
Neither one of those cards will feature McMahon vs. White.
“If Vince hears this he’s going to go nuts, okay?,” White said of his admission that McMahon challenged him. “Vince is too old. He’s too old, which he won’t think he is and he’ll go crazy. He wanted to [fight me] one time.”
mraimondi@nypost.com