WWE hope to be 'part of conversation' over UFC star Ronda Rousey's future as wrestling chief Triple H admits he is open to talks with Conor McGregor

Triple H has admitted he expects the WWE to be ‘part of the conversation’ over Ronda Rousey’s future as the 29-year-old edges towards the end of her time with UFC.

Rousey will face Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on December 30, but both the fighter and UFC president Dana White have openly admitted she will not be competing in the Octagon for much longer.

The path between UFC and WWE is well-trodden in both directions. Rousey previously appeared at Wrestlemania 30 alongside The Rock and is a public fan of the organisation. Her nickname, ‘Rowdy’, is in tribute to former WWE star Roddy Piper.

Triple H has admitted the WWE is hopeful of being involved in Ronda Rousey's post-UFC future

The former 14-time world champion spoke to Sportsmail at an event at the O2

In his role as WWE executive vice president of talent, live events and creative, Triple H would have a say over recruiting Rousey, and seemed positive that she could appear in the company in the future.

Speaking as the WWE launched their United Kingdom Championship Tournament, Triple H exclusively told Sportsmail: ‘Never say never with us. Ronda’s done things with us in the past. She’s a huge fan. She had a blast when she did it.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised at all if, as she begins to wrap up her UFC career, as she’s looking to do other things, if we’re a part of that conversation for her.’

Another UFC star who has been linked with a switch to the squared circle is Conor McGregor. McGregor’s agent Audie Attar spoke in November about his willingness to entertain an offer from the company.

Rousey is set to take on Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 but is expected to retire down the line

And with the Irish fighter going on a break from the Octagon as he awaits the birth of his first child, there has been a suggestion that he could make a move sooner rather than later.

Triple H seemed to dampen down those suggestions, but spoke about how he would be willing to have a conversation over a deal.

‘(McGregor’s) very calculated in the things he says and does,’ he continued. ‘He doesn’t mention us because it just came out. He has made his point. I have made my point when I have been asked about it.

‘He is a business man. I am a business man. If the time is right for us to sit at the table, if there is an opportunity that we have or he wants to have, then we’ll discuss it.

Conor McGregor has gone on a break from UFC after becoming the first dual-weight champion

There have been suggestions he could join the WWE, which Triple H dampened down

‘For them and for us, then who knows, you know? We’ll see. We’re wide open.’

A professional athlete who has made the transition is former Germany international Tim Wiese. The ex-goalkeeper made his debut in Germany in September but has not appeared in the WWE since.

Triple H revealed that he had had conversations with Wiese over his future in the WWE and said that it would require an additional level of commitment from the former Werder Bremen star.

‘He said to me, “What’s the next step?”. I said to him, “Tim, that’s up to you. There’s a difference between coming in and having a match and being a WWE superstar”. I said to Tim, if he wants to be a WWE superstar he knows what he has to do.

Former Germany international goalkeeper Tim Wiese made his WWE debut in September

‘He knows how much work it takes. Is that what he wants to do? If it is, I’m happy to work with him. He’s obviously a great athlete, he’s talented and has charisma. We’ll see what he has.

‘At that point, he’s treated exactly like everybody else. You have to learn how to do this. There’s no gift. The ball is in Tim’s court.’

While those headline pieces of potential recruitment have caught the eye, the former 14-time World Champion said part of the reason behind launching a tournament in the UK - which is set to take place in Blackpool on January 14 and 15 - was to aid their development of future stars.

Triple H discussed recruitment strategies ahead of the WWE's tournament in Blackpool

Triple H continued: ‘If I can aim at a success for this show, it would be to come in and have a weekly show that emanates from here, that works with the talent here. Along the way of doing that, working with the local promotions here to help them to cultivate new and fresh talent and help that talent move up the line.

‘For me, it’s creating a clear pathway of how you get to the WWE. In the past, if you were here, what was that path like? You kept toiling away, hopefully somebody sees you and finds you.

‘Now there is this clear path, here are the promotions you work with. Here are the companies, the WWE’s UK promotions, and you get to move up that line, whether that’s NXT, Raw and Smackdown and move up that brand.’