Will TKO Boxing be the Death of the UFC?

We know that the UFC is struggling. Megastars are sparse. Gone are the days of Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey and regular Jon Jones fights. The world of the UFC is changing and White recognises this. There doesn’t appear to be any long-term megastars on the horizon, either. How many current stars are having fans demand a main event in their home country like McGregor on his rise?

We all know boxing makes a lot more money than the UFC. Canelo earned a reported $80 million this weekend against William Scull. In comparison, Cory Sandhagen, this weekend’s UFC headliner, was reported to have made $311,000. Yes, we’re talking about Canelo, arguably the sport’s biggest star; however, the disparity is shocking.

Would White step away in favour of the much bigger paydays with TKO Boxing?

What could the UFC look like without White?

Dana White has been a stalwart of the UFC since 2001. Everyone in the world of combat sports knows White and many casuals can pick him out as the main man of the UFC. With that being said, more and more often we see him missing from events. The smaller fight night shows and some Apex cards have a distinct lack of White’s presence. We see Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby as prevalent when White isn’t around. With TKO Boxing kicking off in a big way, White’s face at UFC events is likely to decrease.

But who may take over? It could certainly be Maynard or Shelby, but a more likely candidate is UFC Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President, Hunter Campbell. A man who previously stuck to the shadows, Campbell has been influential in making huge fights in recent years. Ariel Helwani once described Campbell as the third most influential person in the business.

It’s understood that Campbell is in charge of almost every fight deal and is often threatening to strip UFC championship titles should the holder not defend their belt, something that would get over with fans in a massive way *Cough Jon Jones cough*.

Big names in the sport, such as Daniel Cormier, argue that Campbell is the right man for the job. He stated: ‘He plays such an important role’ when discussing Campbell earlier this year. To have the backing of such an influential figure in the UFC is certainly beneficial.

Will White’s work with TKO Boxing slowly take him away from the UFC altogether? With no White heading up the UFC, it could have a huge, negative impact. TKO boxing will become more prevalent and the UFC will take a back seat.

White’s venture into the world of boxing through TKO Boxing could kick off the decline of the UFC. Being the chief promoter of the UFC isn’t a part time job, but White could treat it like one…