Dana White And Zuffa Boxing Land Familiar Partner In Historic Media Deal

Riyadh Season's Turki Alalshikh said about the deal, "This partnership with Paramount reinforces our vision to redefine the way viewers consume boxing. More fight fans will now have access to watch some of the most exciting boxers around. We have seen the proof that the appetite is there, this is the future for live boxing coverage and will ensure the sport continues to thrive."

UFC CEO White said, "Timing is everything and the timing was perfect. I met [Alalshikh] two years ago, and off of our first meeting, I had less-than-zero intent on getting into boxing. As I got to get to know him, he's obviously very passionate about the sport. He loves it and the boxing fights that have been made since he got into the sport would have never been done in a million years."

Dana White envisions Zuffa Boxing emulating the UFC's growth

White expects Zuffa Boxing to grow as big as the UFC in the future. He told CBS Sports, "When you think about the UFC and where we came from, it's hard for people to really wrap their heads around how humble the beginnings were."

"We are going to start [Zuffa Boxing] from the ground up on the Paramount platform and matchmake great fights with guys who should be fighting each other at a young point in their career, and you start to build a relationship with the fans and they start to trust your product. Whatever night it lands on, it's destination TV, and people want to be there and people want to see it."Dana White

White also noted that there won't be any change to the Muhammad Ali Act, something which has been discussed heavily in recent times. He claims fighters willing to fight under the act will be free to do so and in fact, there might be some new additions to the act.

White also noted he's not very interested in collaborating with existing major promoters in boxing, as he claims that the others don't think big enough. White said:

"These guys have been in the business for however long, and I think all of those guys think small. They don't think the way that I think. I'm not competing with the other promoters; I'm competing with whatever takes the attention of the fans on the night that we are on television."Dana White