After becoming one of the most influential names in MMA, Dana White has set his sights on his next big venture: Taking over the world of boxing.
The UFC CEO was seen alongside Saudi Arabian Chairman of General Entertainment Authority Turki Alalshikh and Nick Khan—Board of Directors member for UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings—on Wednesday, providing a press conference to announce the upcoming launch of a boxing league.
Saudi Arabia-based entertainment company Sela was also announced as a partner to the deal.
The agreement sees the growing TKO entertainment powerhouse and a country flush with cash resources come together with the hopes of creating a system which could take over a sport with a rich history.
The announcement confirmed a New York Times report from earlier this year, which said that TKO and Saudi Arabia were looking to collaborate on a new boxing league.
While little information was provided about the venture at the time, it was reported that the league was expected to sign “up-and-coming” fighters and make them exclusively compete on shows run by the promotion against others who are under deals with the league, similar to the business model that the UFC deploys in MMA.
Brief comments from White on Wednesday afternoon seemed to confirm the plans mentioned in the Times report.
“The model is proven to deliver the fights that fans want to see,” White said, likely referring to UFC’s system of fighters all competing under one promoter. “The best will fight the best, and the fighters will continue to move up the rankings and become world champions.”
There’s still a long way to go until the unnamed boxing league will be up and running, White admitted this week.
“Now that we’ve got the deal done, what we do now is start to build the infrastructure,” White said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “We gotta build a team. Then, we gotta go out and get a [broadcasting] rights deal. Once we get a rights deal, we can structure this thing to whatever the network needs. We can put on as many fights as they want.”
The agreement furthers a partnership between Saudi Arabia and TKO, one which has come under scrutiny for providing “sportswashing.” WWE has hosted major events in the country annually since 2018, with the promotion visiting twice a year. The Royal Rumble—an event considered one of the four largest cards of the year from the top professional wrestling company—will head to Riyadh for the first time in 2026.
UFC hosted its first-ever Saudi Arabia card last year, kicking off a formal partnership with the country. They have already returned for another show in February, headlined by Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov.
Separate from their partnerships with TKO, Saudi Arabia has kept a close focus on the sport of boxing in recent years.
The country has spent loads of money to host some of the biggest fights over the past decade, including the first undisputed heavyweight title bout in over a quarter-century. They have also spent money to consume major entities in the sport, including the purchase of Ring Magazine, a boxing publication which first started over 100 years ago.
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