The first of Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing events is being planned for January 2026.
White has established himself as one of the biggest figures on the mixed martial arts scene since becoming UFC president in 2001.
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White has opened the door to a new venture in boxing, finally fulfilling his promise to step into squared circle promotionCredit: Getty
Having reaped success in the UFC, White announced that he wanted to venture into another area of combat sports.
In March, White’s TKO Group Holdings signed a multi-year partnership to establish a boxing league with the financial backing of Turki Alalshikh.
In their first collaboration, White teamed up with Alalshikh as a co-promoter for Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford‘s superfight in September.
Now, Zuffa Boxing’s debut event is being scheduled as a precursor for White’s stacked schedule under the new $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount and CBS.
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TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro revealed: “We are planning to launch our first fight on January 23, which is the night before our first UFC fight.
“So back to back nights, big weekend for TKO to say the least.”
As it stands, the card and venue have yet to be announced, but White certainly has ambitious plans to shake up the sport as we know it.
Zuffa Boxing’s maiden foray into the sport will take place just one day before UFC 324, topped by Justin Gaethje’s clash with Paddy Pimblett.
It will be one of 12 cards that have already been confirmed to take place in 2026 under the new Zuffa Boxing banner.
The planned schedule will also likely feature up to four targeted mega-fight shows per year.
What do we know about Dana White’s plans for Zuffa Boxing?
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With Alalshikh’s financial backing White is confident he can dominate the boxing worldCredit: GETTY
White has not refrained from revealing grand ideas for his new project, from changing the rules to scrapping the traditional layout.
In September, he told CBS Sports: “We’re going to start from the ground up.
“We are already working on a new design for the ring.
“That meeting was yesterday, too. We had a huge design meeting for a new boxing ring.”
His master plan is to make Zuffa Boxing the leading promotion in the sport, similar to what he accomplished with the UFC in MMA.
Although his revolutionary ideas aren’t exactly being welcomed by the traditional boxing hierarchy, as he looks to disrupt rules and ideas.
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Hearn has helped build the Matchroom Boxing branch under his father Barry HearnCredit: Getty
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, for one, is wary of White’s decision to emerge into the sport.
He told The Stomping Ground: “Competition’s fantastic, but you’re not going to come into boxing and steamroll the game. It’s not going to happen.
“But we can get on, we can work together, but ultimately, it depends how they’re gonna manoeuvre.
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“Everybody is a competitor to us in the sport, but a lot of those competitors are friends and a lot of those competitors we work with for the benefit of our business, our fighters and the sport and that hopefully will be the same with Dana, but let’s see how it plays out…”
Regardless of the reception from other promoters, Zuffa Boxing is currently building its roster of fighters for what’s anticipated to be an exciting inaugural event.