Dana White, just like his top fighters, really wants to try his luck at boxing.
Unfortunately for the UFC CEO, that would require a boatload of (Saudi?) cash, or perhaps a grassroots, organic approach that builds a promotion from the ground up. One thing is for certain, the decision makers at TKO Group Holdings are not cutting checks to fund White’s passion project.
“First of all, some off the cuff comments from Dana White do not translate into a strategy that we’re communicating to the street,” TKO Group Holdings president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro during a quarterly earnings call (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “Dana says a lot of things and has a lot of passions and that’s why we love him. He’s also the best promoter the sport of MMA and frankly if it was boxing has or will ever see.”
I guess we’ll have to wait for that “big announcement.”
“What I can tell you is boxing at its best is confused and fragmented,” Shapiro continued. “At its worst, it’s broken. We think the sport presents an interesting growth opportunity for us. Dana White, and I should mention [WWE president] Nick Khan, have deep expertise and longstanding relationships in what they call the sweet science, otherwise known as boxing. If we were to get involved in boxing, we would expect to do so in an organic way, not [mergers and acquisitions] way. So i.e. we’re not writing a check. If we launched the vertical at any time, we kind of see it as doing it with a partner that would fund it and pay us to operate.”
Until then, White will have to settle for his role as promoter for undefeated Irish sensation Callum Walsh. He also has his bull riding project, as well as the Power Slap promotion to keep him busy, so don’t expect to hear any news on the boxing front for the foreseeable future.
Unless this wacky fight gets resurrected.