Tyson Fury's Puzzling UFC Appearance Finally Makes Sense After Dana White Admission

For years, boxing fans waited for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to face each other. Contract disputes, venue arguments and promoter disagreements nearly ruined the matchup before organizers finally scheduled it for Dec. 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

However, fans were supposed to get that answer months earlier. Dana White recently revealed that he had originally planned to shock the combat sports community by officially announcing the blockbuster bout in June during UFC Freedom 250 -- the historic event arranged to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

Dana White Confirms Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua Slated for UFC 250 Reveal

The event turned out to be a historic success for the promotion. Broadcast live from the South Lawn, UFC Freedom 250 averaged 7 million live viewers in the United States on Paramount+, making it the most-watched domestic UFC broadcast in history.

Globally, the card reached an estimated 34 million total viewers and generated over 126 billion views across social media platforms during fight week. It provided a massive audience for a major boxing announcement, but behind-the-scenes complications delayed the news.

During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, White confirmed he originally planned to break the news at the White House. He explained that tickets for the Cardiff card are now selling well, adding that roadblocks are normal when doing business in boxing.

"Yeah. F—— . A lot of f—— has gone on since then," White said. "And here we are. We finally got here. We have tickets on sale. Tickets did well. So it's been interesting, but I knew these types of things were going to happen when I got involved in the sport of boxing."

White established Zuffa Boxing in 2025 alongside Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. According to BBC Sport, the Cardiff event is a joint production between White and Alalshikh's publication.

The collaboration is already breaking records. When tickets launched on Ticketmaster, over 500,000 fans joined the online queue, selling out the stadium in less than an hour. White confirmed the event is tracking a $34 million live gate, which officially makes it the highest-grossing gate in British boxing history.

Tyson Fury’s White House Cameo Set Up a Failed Announcement

During UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, “The Gypsy King” fueled speculation during an on-camera interview with Jon Anik. When Anik asked if Zuffa Boxing was organizing a fight with Joshua, Fury stayed vague.

"I think I'm going to let Dana do the speaking, but it is a massive, massive announcement," Fury said. At the post-fight press conference, White only told reporters that an announcement would come soon.

However, the heavyweight fight did not become official until Sept. 24, more than three months later. Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren denied that White's company would lead the event. They also argued over the venue. 

Joshua signed for a UK location, while Fury's team looked at options abroad. Netflix and Sela wanted a Nov. 20 date at Madison Square Garden, but organizers eventually picked Cardiff. To accommodate U.S. streaming viewers, organizers are considering a late-night UK start time.

While fans expected an immediate explosion of trash talk at the September 30 London press conference, the first face-off remained surprisingly calm. Now, the real fireworks are expected during fight week in December, when the fighters return for the final pre-fight press conferences in Cardiff.