Dana White has signed Charles Martin to Zuffa Boxing as he gears up for a busy 2026.
White announced he was venturing into boxing with the financial backing of Turki Alalshikh in March last year.
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White has ambitious plans to shake up the sport with the help of AlalshikhCredit: Getty
Their first collaboration saw White and Alalshikh co-promoting Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford‘s superfight in September.
Now, White has scheduled Zuffa Boxing’s debut event for January 23, as a precursor to the stacked UFC schedule in 2026, which will be headlined by Callum Walsh.
As the MMA mogul looks to build his roster of fighters for future events, he has now signed a deal with Anthony Joshua‘s former foe Martin according to boxing insider Dan Rafael.
As a result, the former IBF heavyweight champion is being lined up to headline a Zuffa Boxing card on February 14.
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It’s believed that he will be facing Efe Ajagba in the main event and an official announcement is set to follow.
Martin reached new heights when he won the vacant IBF title, halting Vyacheslav Glazkov in January 2016.
But he famously held one of the shortest heavyweight title reigns in history at 85 days, being brutally stopped by Anthony Joshua in his first title defence in April that year.
Since then, the American has lost three of his 10 appearances in the ring.
The last time Martin fought, he stopped Matthew McKinney in the first round of their fight in 2024.
Ajagba is coming off a controversial draw with Martin Bakole in May 2025.
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Martin has failed to return to the top ever since he lost to Joshua, but could bounce back in White’s promotion
It will be a real crossroads bout, with the loser of the clash set to have a mountain to climb to ever place their name in the world title mix again.
What is Dana White planning for Zuffa Boxing?
After reaping success in the UFC, White is out to assert a similar dominance on the boxing scene.
White is planning to make revisions to the Muhammad Ali Act, which was a law signed in 2000 to protect boxers from being exploited.
Although, he insists that Zuffa Boxing will make ‘zero changes’ to the bill and will only ‘add to it’, with the Muhammad Ali American Revival Act proposed to US Congress.
In doing so, Zuffa Boxing will be able to establish its own world titles aside from those of the four major governing bodies.
White also revealed he has been working on designs for a new ring ahead of his inaugural Zuffa Boxing event this month.
After the UFC signed an exclusive deal with Paramount+ and CBS, it was announced Zuffa Boxing would also be streaming on the broadcast giants.