Dana White Clarifies UFC Fighters’ Boxing Options
Dana White’s September 2024 comments about boxing concerned his own plans to enter the sport; they did not announce that UFC fighters were barred from boxing. After attending Irish boxer Callum Walsh’s bout in Dublin, White said he expected major boxing announcements in early 2025 and would come in “guns blazing,” according to MMA Fighting’s contemporaneous report. Since then, TKO and Sela launched a separate boxing promotion, Zuffa Boxing, which staged its first event in January 2026.
What White said in September 2024
White spoke to reporters after attending Callum Walsh vs. Przemyslaw Runowski in Dublin, a boxing match promoted by Walsh’s team and streamed on UFC Fight Pass. He said he had a plan for boxing and expected to make announcements in early 2025. His “guns blazing” remark referred to that intended business expansion. The report covered his promotional plans; it did not announce a new UFC rule prohibiting athletes from boxing.
A boxing venture takes shape
The initial timetable shifted. In 2025, TKO and Saudi entertainment company Sela announced a new professional boxing promotion, Zuffa Boxing, led in part by White, in a UFC announcement. Its first event took place at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on January 23, 2026. Walsh headlined against Carlos Ocampo and won by unanimous decision, according to the official results. Zuffa Boxing is a separate promotional operation; its launch does not itself set out whether or on what terms UFC-contracted athletes may box.
What the remarks do—and do not—establish
The September interview showed White expressing renewed interest in promoting boxing after years of discussing the idea. It did not detail contract rules for UFC fighters or say that athletes had to choose between boxing and MMA. Permission and scheduling questions depend on the individual fighter’s agreement and circumstances; the interview alone is not evidence of a blanket ban.
The clearest follow-through was a dedicated boxing promotion, announced after the 2024 comments and launched in 2026. The original report’s claim that White had delivered a “verdict” against fighters pursuing boxing went beyond what his remarks established.
Sources
Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
