Dana White wants to enter the world of boxing. The MMA business tycoon and CEO of the UFC, the largest mixed martial arts company in the world, has managed to establish a great relationship with the Riyadh Season network, and his eyes are now reportedly set on the world of boxing. This would be his second attempt at the sport after the failure of his Zuffa boxing venture.

However, it seems like White is a lot more serious this time. He has seen the sport make major money. As of 2021, the boxing industry in the United States is valued at $1 billion. And with the backing of Turki Alalshikh, he can fulfill his dream of creating a major boxing promotion. With the UFC, White has created a company that brings all the best MMA fighters from around the world. Just yesterday, they signed ONE Championship’s former two-weight champion Reinier De Ridder. And now, he aims to do the same when he becomes a boxing promoter.

In the recent post-event press conference of the Dana White Contender Series, White was asked if he would like to use the same formula of bringing the best boxers under the same umbrella and if this could actually work. It was then that the UFC CEO revealed that he believes the UFC has flourished by bringing the best together, the same used to happen in the realm of boxing with some dominant promoters in the past.

So it wouldn’t be farfetched to believe that the same cannot be done now. He said, “Well, it’s not like that hasn’t been done before. I mean, there have been dominant promoters before that have had most of the talent locked up. But listen, I think if you asked anybody, and even if you asked yourselves, the UFC model works. It works.”

Well, knowing how White managed to turn ‘human cockfighting’ into a billion-dollar industry, it’s hard not to believe the capabilities of the MMA genius. Teddy Atlas even went as far as calling Dana White a dictator that boxing needs. He praised the UFC CEO’s way of running the promotion and booking fights that the people wanted to see. And if being the only guy in charge means that people call him a dictator, so be it. This isn’t the only support that White got for his new venture. A legendary boxer has even given his blessings to the UFC boss for his new venture. So who is the boxing legend, and what did he say?

Boxing GOAT gets excited about Dana White’s plan

The intentions of the UFC president have reached the ears of one of the greatest legends in the history of boxing. Mike Tyson, who fights Jake Paul next November and has a great relationship with Dana White, has given his blessing to the plans of the king of global mixed martial arts.

He said, “Well listen, that’s going to be the best thing to ever happen to boxing, just like the UFC… If you’re in the UFC and if anyone is booing your fight, you’re not gonna see that guy again. His next fight is gonna be in South Dakota somewhere. If you don’t have a good fight, you’re never gonna see that guy again. Not like boxing, ‘Oh, this guy is gonna fight next month again.’ I don’t wanna see that. If any fights stink, you’re not back in the UFC anymore. You’re never going to see those guys again.”

A few months ago, White was on the P4P podcast hosted by Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. He spoke highly of Turki Alalshikh to the former UFC champions. “Turki Alalshikh, so this guy now has unlimited amounts of money. He’s trying to make the best possible fights that you that you could make. It’s gonna be interesting to see what he does over the next several years.”

But the UFC CEO had to admit that even with Saudi money, it was difficult to make some fights. He said, “The amount of money that these guys are throwing at this thing, and they’re still having trouble making some of these fights.” A most recent example of the same would be the friction between Turki Alalshikh and Canelo Alvarez. The former wanted Canelo to fight Terence Crawford but the Mexican wanted an exorbitant $200M paycheck. ‘Saul’ is also under fire for not fighting David Benavidez who most believe is his rightful next challenger. Will Dana White be able to address these issues and make these fights?

If there’s one thing the UFC matchmakers know how to do, it’s how to get two guys inside the cage. Remember how they got Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich to agree to fight each other? The great boxing legend wants Dana White to be a protagonist in the discipline where he was once King. After launching the UFC to stardom with a work of almost 20 years, White wants to bet heavily on the noble art under the blessing of Mike Tyson, the most influential heavyweight, along with Muhammad Ali, in the history of the sport. So what do you think? Will White be able to succeed in his plan? Let us know in the comments.