Is WWE planning a shoot-style fight tournament?

On Monday, Jon Alba of Spectrum Sports 360 tweeted that he's heard "rumblings" that WWE boss Vince McMahon is considering adding a shoot-style fight tournament to his programming catalog:

Alba added in a couple of now-deleted tweets that he doesn't know anything for sure and can't confirm we'll see UFC-style bouts under the WWE umbrella anytime soon.

Alba reversed course later on Monday, however, and added he doesn't know if the fights will be worked (scripted) or legitimate matches:

The WWE Universe and UFC world have crossed paths multiple times throughout the years. Superstars Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey famously won world titles in both promotions. CM Punk often wore Gracie Jiu-Jitsu hoodies on WWE shows. Former UFC fighters Matt Riddle and Shayna Baszler are currently on the WWE main roster.

It's anybody's guess what a shoot-style WWE tournament would look like in a world where mixed martial arts events are televised every month. The previously mentioned Brawl for All tournament in 1998 is widely seen as one of the biggest marketing mistakes made by McMahon during the second half of that decade. Multiple wrestlers suffered injuries, and tournament winner Bart Gunn was knocked out by Eric Esch, commonly known as "Butterbean," in under a minute at WrestleMania XV: