Dana White Clarifies Zuffa Boxing Vision: 'Bet On Me'

“We’re Going to Add On, Not Take Away”

White addressed criticism surrounding his support of the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act (H.R. 4624) bipartisan legislation backed by TKO Group Holdings that seeks to modernize the original 2000 Ali Act.

“I’m definitely not trying to get rid of the Ali Act,” White said. “We’re going to add on to it. The Ali Act was done with the right intentions, but it actually complicated a lot of things.”

White said the new framework will keep the existing federal protections intact, while offering fighters an alternative:

“Not one word is going to be changed not one thing. There is just going to be an add-on. If you are a fighter, you can stay exactly under the way it is now, or come bet on me and fight in our organizations. There are going to be plenty of options.”

A Vote of Confidence — and a Media Partner

White’s plan gained momentum last week when the California State Athletic Commission voted 6-0 in support of the Ali Act Revival Act, signaling early regulatory alignment.

Zuffa Boxing also finalized a media rights deal with Paramount+, placing its shows alongside UFC broadcasts. The partnership gives White a powerful cross-promotional runway to integrate combat sports content under one corporate umbrella.

“It Took Saudi Money to Make Big Fights”

White pointed to boxing’s financial dependency on Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season as a symptom of deeper dysfunction.

“If you look at where boxing was and where it’s gotten to now, it got to a place where it took Saudi Arabia money to make any fights that you might want to see. It’s not sustainable,” White said. “Turki Alalshikh has done incredible things, but if you don’t turn it into a real business, it’s not sustainable.”

Restoring Faith in Boxing Fans

White says Zuffa Boxing’s mission is to rebuild the sport’s credibility by guaranteeing quality matchups and transparent matchmaking.

“You start from the bottom and build the sport back up restore faith in boxing fans that when you tune in, you’re going to get a good product from the first fight to the last,” he said. “The best will fight the best, and losses probably won’t matter as long as people fight their asses off.”

He also teased a global approach, promising to bring cards to new regions and emerging fight markets often ignored by traditional promoters.

“People care about seeing great fights. I’m going to travel this thing to cities other promoters normally wouldn’t.”

The Blueprint: UFC’s Model, Boxing’s Soul

White says his Zuffa Boxing vision borrows from the UFC playbook streamline the sport, emphasize competitive parity, and reimagine the live event experience.

“When you look at the way the UFC was built, I took all of the things I loved from boxing, and all the things I hated about boxing, and built the UFC,” White said. “I’ll do the same exact thing with Zuffa Boxing.”

 Dana White isn’t trying to tear boxing down he’s betting he can rebuild it. With a Paramount+ deal, regulatory backing, and a UFC-style structure, Zuffa Boxing is poised to test whether a centralized model can deliver what decades of boxing politics couldn’t: the best fighting the best.