Zuffa Boxing
Dana White Talks Zuffa Boxing Expansion Plans, Increased Event Calendar, His Chaotic Schedule & More
Dana White Fielded Questions From The Media Following The Conclusion Of Zuffa Boxing 02 In Las Vegas
Zuffa Boxing is officially up and running after two events in successive weeks, and, after an action-packed night of fights at Meta APEX for Zuffa Boxing 02, Dana White spoke at the post-fight press conference, where he shared his thoughts on a number of topics, including his plans for Zuffa Boxing going forward.
Zuffa Boxing will continue to improve with each show
The reaction to the Zuffa Boxing 02 card was overwhelmingly positive, with some superb matchups on the fight card. One of those who enjoyed the back-and-forth action was White himself, who was clearly happy with the action on display.
“The whole card, there aren't any fights (where people thought) ‘I wish this one was better,’” he said.
“It was a great night. Everybody fought their ass off.”
White also explained how his new production team for Zuffa Boxing is making constant tweaks and improvements from event to event, and the quality of the product will continue to rise with each event they do.
Winners, Scorecards & Interviews From Zuffa Boxing 02
“The production is going to continue to get better,” he said.
“Like I said last week, there's a whole new team that we're building here on this boxing show. So it's just going to get better every time we do it. You gotta get the reps in.”
Big announcements on the horizon
White has been keen to stress that it’s still very early days for the Zuffa Boxing brand, but he admitted that he’s been impressed with what he’s seen so far, and even suggested that the progress already made has surpassed his initial expectations.
“Tonight you saw two young, talented guys, undefeated, 14-0, 11-0. And you’re going to see a lot of that this year,” he explained.
“So, at the end of 2026, if you're still undefeated, it'll actually mean something. You've fought some real guys and you made it through the year.
“There were a lot of kids here tonight, and we've been meeting with and talking with people all week. And I told you guys, we have some pretty crazy announcements that will be coming out over the next couple of weeks. So I'm way further in this thing than I anticipated being just two shows in.”
Consistency is key
When asked about the importance of consistency for the new brand, White explained that it’s crucial for the growth of not just Zuffa Boxing, but also for the development of the fighters on the roster. He also hinted that there could be even more Zuffa Boxing shows than first anticipated.
“It’s very important. Not only the consistency of the shows, but the consistency of the fighters fighting, too,” said White.
Jamar Talley Scores 2nd Round Knockout | Zuffa Boxing 02
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Jamar Talley Scores 2nd Round Knockout | Zuffa Boxing 02
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“And I listen, I don't want to get way ahead of myself here, but we're going to be adding more shows this year, too. We'll be doing more fights than we originally announced. And like I said, as we start to roll out over the next couple of weeks, what we have going on, it's gonna rock the industry. Let's just put it that way.”
White also revealed that a potentially expanded event schedule will “very likely” see Zuffa Boxing go on the road, when the time is right.
“It’ll definitely be new signings, deals, more territories to go into,” he said.
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“I’m telling you guys, at the end of ’26, like I said before, I'll let our body of work this year speak for itself, but it's going to be impressive.
“I told you coming into this, my approach was to build it from the from the ground up again, and that's what we're doing here. And tonight, any of you, most of you aren't old enough, but USA’s Tuesday Night Fights - tonight had that feel, and USA’s Tuesday Night Fights created all the pay-per-view stars of the 90s, and that’s the goal here.”
THE BONUSES ARE IN! 💰 🥊 #ZuffaBoxing02
— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) February 2, 2026
Fight of the Night: @SBohachuk vs Radzhab Butaev
Performance of the Night: @hotrodboxing, @rayoboxing pic.twitter.com/NCp39oGqgr
Coming soon: Official Zuffa Boxing rankings
With two events now in the books, White said the management team will start to work on establishing an official rankings system for Zuffa Boxing, and said that, having dome similar work before for other brands under the TKO banner, he doesn’t anticipate any problems getting them up and running.
“That’s something we have to start working on this week,” he revealed.
“If you look at other things we’ve done, like the UFC, Power Slap, we created rankings for that. This shouldn’t be too tough.”
Zuffa Boxing athletes get ‘same treatment’ as UFC athletes
One of the big benefits the Zuffa Boxing fighters have commented on already is their access to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, and the expertise and assistance from the team, as well as use of the best-in-class training facilities on site.
“They're getting the same treatment that the UFC fighters get,” White explained.
“There's been a lot of talk for years that we don't pay and we don't do this and we don't do that. There's a lot of things that we do here that nobody else does – financially, too.
“I never run around battling any of that shit, because I know exactly what we do and who we are and how we treat people and how we pay them. So I think you're gonna hear a lot more of that as guys start to come in and realize how this place is running (and) how we treat our athletes.”
Meta APEX expansion continues
The Meta APEX has undergone a transformation over the last few months to host Zuffa Boxing shows. But more change is coming, with an expanded seating capacity and additional facilities helping turn the APEX into a bigger, better-appointed venue for events.
“It's incredible, and it's only going to get better,” said White.
“This thing probably will be done in May, but then there'll be 1,100 seats in here. It’s turning into a real arena now.”
White on his expanded responsibilities
With the arrival of Zuffa Boxing adding another major sporting entity to his growing list of responsibilities, White was asked how he was coping with the expanded workload.
“I knew what I was getting into. I put a lot on my plate. Now, it's time to eat!” he grinned.
“I got a hell of a ’26 coming up, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited. And, yeah, it is what it is, you know, you want to, you want to take on all these other things, you know, you got to get in there and get in there work.
“No one guy does anything. You build a great team around you. And you know, the UFC is such a well-oiled machine. Now it literally runs perfectly. And now for Zuffa Boxing (we’ve) done the same thing. The team that we have built here, they’re unbelievable.”
