Dana White has unveiled his Zuffa Boxing plan for 2026, which involves acknowledging only the Zuffa belt and The Ring belt, while completely rejecting the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles.
White stated that his Zuffa Boxing league will primarily consist of the next best prospects in boxing. It is not clear if the less-experienced fighters will be able to capture Ring belts if the Saudis maintain the publication’s championship. The only scenario where prospects could potentially win Ring belts is if the Saudis make those belts exclusive to the new Zuffa Boxing league. However, that could devalue the importance of the historic belt.
“I love the fact that you’re not recognizing the sanctioning bodies, just the Ring Magazine belt as the world championship. Is there going to be a Zuffa belt where the winner of the Zuffa belt has a springboard into Riyadh Season and a championship fight, a Ring Magazine fight? There will be a Zuffa belt, and there will be a Ring belt. And, yes, I will not recognize any of the other sanctioning bodies. Yeah, based on the UFC model. I hear a lot of people talking about, ‘It’ll never work.’ Well, we’ll find out in the next couple of years,” White said
Implications
White’s model, patterned after the UFC, offers a solution to boxing’s most frustrating problems. By rejecting the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles, Zuffa Boxing immediately introduces a clear, unified structure where one title is the singular goal. This clarity is a major benefit for fans, who are often confused by multiple “World Champions” in the same weight class. For example, instead of a prospect having to negotiate with four separate bodies, pay numerous sanctioning fees, and navigate multiple mandatory challengers, the Zuffa champion has a direct, clear path to progression.
The primary danger of the Zuffa Boxing model lies in its potential to devalue the most respected title in boxing. The UFC model that Zuffa Boxing is based on is notorious for locking fighters into restrictive, long-term contracts that limit their negotiating power and prevent them from seeking higher purses outside the promotion. If this financial structure is applied to boxing, it could be a massive step backward for career autonomy, making White’s new league appealing only to those prospects who fail to secure better deals with traditional, established promoters.