UFC CEO Dana White intends to finally pull the trigger on promoting boxing. The mixed martial arts promoter's hot-and-cold flirtations with boxing appear to be over, with White claiming he'll enter the space more aggressively in 2025.
"I did my first fight in Ireland and we'll start announcing stuff here [at the] beginning of 2025," White told reporters at Tuesday's "Contender Series" post-fight press conference.
The Sept. 20 fight between Callum Walsh and Przemyslaw Runowski was streamed on UFC Fight Pass. White has had a hand in Walsh's promotion, partially due to the UFC CEO's long-standing relationship with Walsh's promoter Tom Loeffler.
White previously teased Zuffa Boxing -- an extension of UFC's former parent company -- while promoting Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor in 2017. White's rhetoric about boxing has ranged from enthusiastic about its potential to scornful about its allegedly broken state.
"Every time I get on the phone with these guys I go, 'Am I out of my f---ing mind?' But I think that obviously now is the time or I would have done it then," White said. "I was kicking around -- I was even talking about Anthony Joshua at one time and stuff like that. I'm glad that I pumped the brakes and we waited. Everything is about timing. Is now the time? We're going to find out...
"There's a million reasons why now is [the time]. If you notice, as far as boxing goes, even as much money as Sheik Turki is throwing into this thing, television deals aren't really abundant right now. There's just a lot of things that I think I can do that other people haven't done yet."
White's 2025 timeline is the most committed he's been publicly to expanding into the boxing game. White isn't confident his plan will work out but says he'll give it a full-throated effort.
"I have a plan. I'm going to implement that plan and we'll see how it works," White said. "We'll see how this thing works. People have been talking about the demise of boxing for 30 years and we're still here talking about boxing right now.
"I have always had an idea of how I thought it should be done. I don't know if that's possible, but we're going to find out. I'm coming in guns blazing."
More UFC news, rumors
- The UFC has signed a decorated fighter to its ranks. Simultaneous ONE Championship light heavyweight and middleweight champion Reinier de Ridder has signed with UFC. De Ridder (17-2) confirmed the signing on Tuesday. UFC's Eurosport Instagram account announced on Wednesday that de Ridder would make his promotional debut against fellow submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 309 on Nov. 9. De Ridder was undefeated across his first 16 fights, capturing ONE titles in two divisions. De Ridder left the Singapore-based promotion after consecutive stoppage losses to Anatoly Malkyhin. De Ridder bounced back with one win on the regional scene before signing with UFC.
- Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo have a chance to punch their ticket to a UFC bantamweight title shot. Yan vs. Figueiredo is expected to headline UFC Fight Night in Macau on Nov. 23, according to reports by Leo Guimaraes and MMA Fighting. Former bantamweight champ Yan snapped a three-fight losing streak by defeating Song Yadong in March. Former flyweight champ Figueiredo is a perfect 3-0 since moving up to bantamweight. Yan and Figueiredo sit at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, in the UFC's official bantamweight rankings. Most anticipated Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against Umar Nurmagomedov next, potentially leaving an opening for Yan or Figueiredo to challenge the winner.
