New UFC-Style League Potentially on the Horizon for Boxing

Of course, Dana White is looking for ways to make more money – his baseline $20m annual salary without including sponsorship deals and dividends isn't enough. His 9% stake, currently valued at $4bn, is probably enough.

White is joining Turki Alalshikh, Saudi Arabia's entertainment powerhouse, and TKO to create a boxing fighting league.

Read on to learn more about it.

The Dana White and Turki Alalshikh Announcement

A nuclear bomb dropped on social media when Dana White shared a video with his typical excessive flair, stating: "BOOM! Boxing, here we come!" Was it subtle? Never.

TKO Group will oversee and fund the league through the General Entertainment Authority. They have WWE president Nick Khan and Sela (their deep-pocketed partner) on board. Translation? There's serious money behind this.

With a boxing flag in hand, Alalshikh said: “I give the flag of boxing to the best man who can handle it' as he passed the metaphorical Olympic torch.”

The official announcement about the specifics of the league is yet to come, but the early buzz suggests a 2026 launch date, and it's going to be Riyadh, Vegas, or both.

Why They're Doing It

Let's face it, boxing was on life support even with the big upcoming events. Its glory days are long gone, and even die-hard fanatics are worn out from the incessant drama and negotiations that come with the sport. UFC fans get hyped over Khabib and Conor's matches, while boxing fans have the slow burn of internet beef and protracted waiting periods. And let's not mention the Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury meltdowns.

Dana White has come to the rescue. Unlike others, he is not a sentimentalist.

UFC and its executives turned everything into a unifying brand with a single vision, straightforward bouts and actual stakes: none of the complicated, convoluted "He holds the WBC but ducked the IBF mandatory" drivel. As for Turki, there is a product that he wants to showcase to the world, especially during moments such as Riyadh Season when Saudi Arabia flaunts its culture. And money, of course.

Sports are very aware of how they intersect and compete with digital entertainment. Films, TV shows, TikTok and gaming have experienced huge growth in recent years, utilising digital platforms and their immediate accessibility to enable users to watch and play. After all, since the first iPhone’s release, mobile gaming has caused the industry to balloon to multi-billion dollar revenues, enabling users to play games where and when they want – securely and safely. New technological developments have also seen platforms quickly embrace them and explore new potentialities. As such, what Royal Panda Canada – a leading iGaming platform – offers will feel the same as what it has always offered, but not without the important differences that new technologies such as 5G can make.

Sports, in contrast, are notoriously slow to adapt. Leading digital entertainment platforms and services are often miles ahead, meaning that sports need to make attempts to liven up competitions or the sport itself.

What the League Means for Fighting Sports

The idea is more than about just boxing. It will likely change the way that interactions take place, and fans will get what they have wanted for ages: the best fighting the best.

If the predictions come to pass, we expect serious competition across the board. Kickboxing, maybe not, but MMA promotions will flourish. Maybe even WWE will make more legitimate bouts with people such as Logan Paul in real-life crossover fights.

How We Think People Will React

The response from fans tends to be one dominant reaction. They’re either totally excited or they’re sick of fabricated fights and mundane 12-round brawls. Many people clearly want something else. Enter Dana.

Promoters? Not so much. Oscar De La Hoya has already taken aim. De La Hoya always plays aggressively. “Nobody is going to touch me!” he proclaimed while resting his thumbs on his waistband like a bodybuilder.

Other purists? They are still trying to cope with the new changes, holding on to their out-of-the-box memorabilia and slowly preparing for the worst. It won’t be long before they’ll be turning this into a new Netflix show or console game.

While the sport may not entirely be gone, boxing has definitely put itself into a deep slumber. Dana, with his energy drinks, flamethrower and blank checks, can change things on a whim.

There are going to be people, including some loyalists, who will be disappointed. What is brilliant about this situation though is that all eyes are on boxing again and maybe the sport will become fun to watch again. Let's see what 2026 brings.