For years, UFC CEO Dana White has teased adding boxing to his promotional portfolio. Despite recent bullish comments on diving into the sport, the UFC owners do not currently share the same vision.
In September, during a Q&A before Callum Walsh’s boxing fight against Przemyslaw Runowski, which aired on UFC Fight Pass, White said he was working toward “big announcements” with his boxing involvement.
“If you know anything about me and you go back and look at anything that I’ve ever said, I never say anything that I don’t do – ever,” White said. “I’ve never said (something I don’t do), and we’ve been kicking the whole boxing thing around for a long time. You’ve never heard me commit and say, ‘I’m in.’ I’m in.”
Aside from the UFC, White has been busy in recent years with different ventures. He has launched Dana White’s Contender Series, which offers regional MMA fighters the opportunity to earn a UFC contract, and a slap fighting league named Power Slap.
Wednesday, during a quarterly earnings call, TKO Group Holdings president and CEO Mark Shapiro shared his thoughts on White’s desire to jump into boxing.
“First of all, some off-the-cuff comments from Dana White do not translate into a strategy that we’re communicating to the street,” Shapiro said in a quote transcribed by MMA Fighting. “Dana says a lot of things and has a lot of passions and that’s why we love him. He’s also the best promoter the sport of MMA, and frankly if it was boxing, has or will ever see.
“What I can tell you is boxing at its best is confused and fragmented. At its worst, it’s broken. We think the sport presents an interesting growth opportunity for us. Dana White, and I should mention (WWE president) Nick Khan, have deep expertise and longstanding relationships in what they call the sweet science, otherwise known as boxing. If we were to get involved in boxing, we would expect to do so in an organic way, not (mergers and acquisitions) way. So, i.e., we’re not writing a check. If we launched the vertical at any time, we kind of see it as doing it with a partner that would fund it and pay us to operate.”
White has occasionally sported Zuffa Boxing t-shirts over the years. He is currently a backer of Walsh, a 12-0 boxer from Ireland, perhaps his most significant step toward the sport yet. The UFC boss admits that part of Walsh’s allure is his Irish background, which reminds him of the early days of Conor McGregor, who became a megastar in MMA.
Despite White getting behind a rising talent, the UFC owners do not appear ready to launch a boxing venture on their own. The group seems willing to explore potential partnership options, but according to Shapiro, it is not part of their immediate plans.
“Nothing to announce today, but this is one area we’re going to continue to explore,” Shapiro said. “We’ve talked about a dearth of leagues that are out there. Obviously, we’re acquiring (Professional Bull Riders), there’s not much else. We don’t necessarily need to add anything to our model, but boxing is ripe for a fix.
“We’re blessed to have two experts in the field, and if an opportunity presents itself or we can chase one down that does not put much risk or any risk for that matter on us financially, then we’re going to pursue it. In terms of models and leagues and how we’d structure it, etc., etc., that’s way down the road. Once we have something, if we have something, you’ll be the first to know.”
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