LAS VEGAS – Dana White observed Friday’s first Zuffa Boxing show like everyone else, except he had the power to phone in production improvement suggestions, explaining, “All that we’ve been focused on is the launch.”
What White also knows is there’s so much more to it than that, including roster building, fight making and awarding belts that matter.
He, of course, will also carry a powerful voice in executing that.
So as White reflected late Friday night upon the eight-card launch that provided flashes of youthful talent, one hellacious welterweight scrap and a second lackluster showing by his prized fighter, Irish middleweight Callum Walsh, White summed it up with two repeated refrains:
“This is all a work in progress.” “Anything is possible.”
What seems clear is that early Zuffa Boxing plans that indicated a lighter investment aimed at developing talent has been altered to include the pursuit of champions and world-class contenders.
Not only did the Zuffa Boxing debut draw fighters including Zuffa’s new signee, IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, former unified super-bantamweight champion Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev and Shane Mosley Jnr, the promotion’s talent hounds are on the prowl for others who are in, or nearing, free agency.
“Like when we signed [Opetaia] and people were saying, ‘I thought you weren’t going to [work with other promotions, or have other sanctioning-body belts on the line] … listen, this is all a work in progress,” White told reporters at his post-fight news conference.
“This thing’s moving faster than I even anticipated. Everything’s on the table. We’ll start working on other things next week.”
As Zuffa awaits Congress’ passage and his close friend President Trump’s signing of an amended Ali Act into law that will free him to reward his own Zuffa belts to fighters that occupy his stable, White told BoxingScene during the session that he’s determined to make the Zuffa belt a meaningful strap.
“The belt is only as good as the guy it’s wrapped around,” White said. “So as you continue to fight your way up the ladder and meet the best in the world and you get the belt, you’ve fought your way through the gauntlet of the toughest guys in your division. Then the belt means something.
“We’re going into this with a lot of undefeated fighters. Whoever’s undefeated at the end of 2026, it’ll mean something. That’s my philosophy – not because you have a [sanctioning body] belt that’s been around for 50 years. You fight your way to the top, and once you get there, there’s no denying who the best in the world is at that weight class.”
That will require an aggressive retention of world-class talent, and as promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy enter this year without a broadcast deal and Premier Boxing Champions is yielding to Zuffa investor Turki Alalshikh to support pay-per-views like the February 21 welterweight title defense by PBC’s Mario Barrios versus Golden Boy’s Ryan Garcia, the opportunity to strike is there.
“These guys [Zuffa] are offering good money,” one fighter agent who attended Friday’s show told BoxingScene under the condition of anonymity because his fighter has yet to sign a new contract.
Another said Zuffa’s per-fight verbal offer for their fighter nearly doubled the purse money of that boxer’s prior world-title fight purse.
By March 8 – Opetaia’s debut – Zuffa will stage three more fights at its expanding (to 1,100 seats) Apex venue across the street from headquarters where White reigns as UFC president and CEO, backed by powerful parent company TKO that also presides over WWE.
Zuffa Boxing is streamed by Paramount+, which launches its separate seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with UFC Saturday night with a card at T-Mobile Arena.
White kept a phone near his ear throughout Friday night, providing tips and direction to improve the broadcast that summoned a slew of broadcast talent.
From the position of this soft opening, he said he’ll address “a whole list of things we’ll go over Monday. I know what I want this to be, and we’re building a whole new team.”
Similarly, he said the expectation of new talent and proper matchmaking – which shined in welterweight Julian Rodriguez’s fight of the night versus the rugged, previously unbeaten Cain Sandoval – will allow Zuffa to “catch our stride over the next three-five fights. And by the end of the year, we’ll be where I want us to be.
“We’re not the savior. Judge us at the end of 2026 by what we do. A lot of things will separate us from the others.”
If a wealth of new fighters are landed, he said, “I wouldn’t be opposed to adding fights if we get the right guys.
“These are all things that are in the works. But when you’ve got real guys that make sense to you, you put the right fights on and start handing out belts.”
As the Ali Act legislation moves, White will navigate his prior stances regarding not working with other promotions and not staging bouts where the four major sanctioning bodies – WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF – are awarding the belts alone.
“I don’t want to work with them,” White repeated Friday. “I have a completely different way. When I started UFC, I took everything I loved and hated about boxing and implemented it into the UFC. It worked. How do you think it’s going to work for boxing?”
Zuffa’s lobbying for the new Ali Act to allow it to rank its fighters and distribute the belts internally passed easily through a committee this week as guarantees for pay per round, protections from being shelved and health insurance were improved and established.
White said the sanctioning bodies “are the same people who complain about me trying to amend the Ali Act. In their world and what they do, none of that is going to change. What difference does it make what I’m doing?
“I’m in my own little world over here doing my thing, and they can still run their business and do what they want to do. Somebody get me a quote when I said, ‘I’m going to destroy everybody, and take over boxing.’ I’m still trying to figure out my production here over the next five-six months.”
Opetaia faced off with Mikaelian Friday, but Zuffa officials were quick to say that Mikaelian – promoted by Don King – is not the March 8 opponent.
White hinted at plans for greater fight cards at global venues.
“You guys have no idea what we already have in place– it’s bigger than anything other than what King and [Top Rank’s Bob] Arum did back in the old days,” White said in referencing the “Thrilla in Manila” and “Rumble in the Jungle” cards anchored by Muhammad Ali. “I’m just not ready to talk to you guys about all this shit I have in place for our [next major] Zuffa Boxing match.”
Zuffa staged September’s Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez undisputed super-middleweight title fight at the NFL’s Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
White said Zuffa Boxing will add women’s fights and will consider weight classes other than the major eight divisions.
While he chided Walsh for overly pursuing a knockout in his unanimous-decision victory over Carlos Ocampo, he praised Rodriguez for displaying what he seeks from Zuffa fighters.
“I love that we have guys who want to fight. That’s what you’re supposed to do: Stay active, build your record, make a lot of money and have people give a shit,” White said.
