Max Kellerman is rarely short on takes. And when it comes to Dana White\u2019s legacy, the former First Take star\u2019s stance is clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cDana White is the greatest promoter of combat sports who ever lived,\u201d Kellerman said on the latest episode<\/a> of Ari Emanuel\u2019s Rushmore video podcast. \u201cHe is the only promoter of combat sports who has built an institution.\u201d<\/p>\n White, for what\u2019s worth, was seated right next to the Zuffa Boxing broadcaster as he said it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you say like, \u2018Hey, why can\u2019t boxing do X, Y and Z?\u2019 it\u2019s because if you were to say, \u2018Hey, you know what they should do in football?\u2019 there\u2019s a \u2018they.\u2019 There\u2019s Roger Goodell,\u201d Kellerman continued. \u201cThere\u2019s a million football leagues, but there\u2019s a brand that like Band-Aid or Frigidaire once upon a time meant bandage or refrigerator. The UFC means MMA. To your casual, to your average person, they hear UFC and MMA interchangeably.\u201d<\/p>\n Emanuel proceeded to question why boxing was never able to create its own independent league prior to the implementation of the Ali Act. That prompted White to suggest that there \u201cwas never vision\u201d for such a promotion, unlike his own for UFC.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew exactly how we wanted to do it,\u201d the UFC president said. \u201cWe just didn\u2019t know if it was doable.\u201d<\/p>\n Max Kellerman: Dana White is the greatest promoter of combat sports who ever lived. He is the only promoter of combat sports who has built an institution.pic.twitter.com\/DpT4mUViwM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jed I. Goodman \u00a9 (@jedigoodman) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n As it turns out, it was, and now TKO is attempting to replicate that same model with Zuffa Boxing. Doing so, however, could prove easier said than done, if the sport\u2019s history is any indication.<\/p>\n As for Kellerman\u2019s comments, there\u2019s no questioning White\u2019s status as one of the greatest \u2014 if not the greatest \u2014 promoters in the history of combat sports. But they also aren\u2019t likely to change Ariel Helwani\u2019s stance on the ex-ESPN star, who he recently admonished<\/a> as a \u201cshill\u201d following Zuffa Boxing\u2019s debut broadcast.<\/p>\n \t