TKO Boxing has arrived and it comes at a risk to the UFC. Headed up by UFC President Dana White, TKO Boxing will kick off with a huge fight from Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on September 12th. Taking to the ring will be the legendary Canelo Alvarez, taking on the undefeated Terence Crawford for the undisputed super middleweight title.
This marks a huge shift from TKO Boxing as it signifies that they mean business. We knew it was coming, but we maybe didn’t expect an event this big to kick things off. As per The Ring Magazine‘s website:
‘Alalshikh and White unveiled plans for TKO’s boxing venture last month in New York. TKO was formed when WWE and UFC joined forces to form a publicly traded company. Nick Khan, the president of WWE, was a driving force in boxing for years.’
Will White taking on promotional duties for TKO Boxing lead to the death of the UFC, as we know it? We take a look at the impact that it could have.
Will TKO Boxing be the Death of the UFC?
One man can only do so many jobs. UFC president, TKO Boxing head promoter, PowerSlap founder, board member of Meta Platforms and increasingly relevant political figure to name but a few, Dana White is spread extremely thin. We’ve increasingly seen a reduction of him at UFC events, despite being the man who brought the UFC to the mainstream. He appears to be putting more emphasis on PowerSlap than the UFC, the thing that got him to the dance.
On top of that, if one President Donald Trump requests you to be somewhere, White inevitably needs to be there, pulling him from prior commitments.
We know that the UFC is struggling. Megastars are sparse. Gone are the days of Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey and regular Jon Jones fights. The world of the UFC is changing and White recognises this. There doesn’t appear to be any long-term megastars on the horizon, either. How many current stars are having fans demand a main event in their home country like McGregor on his rise?
We all know boxing makes a lot more money than the UFC. Canelo earned a reported $80 million this weekend against William Scull. In comparison, Cory Sandhagen, this weekend’s UFC headliner, was reported to have made $311,000. Yes, we’re talking about Canelo, arguably the sport’s biggest star; however, the disparity is shocking.
Would White step away in favour of the much bigger paydays with TKO Boxing?
What could the UFC look like without White?
Dana White has been a stalwart of the UFC since 2001. Everyone in the world of combat sports knows White and many casuals can pick him out as the main man of the UFC. With that being said, more and more often we see him missing from events. The smaller fight night shows and some Apex cards have a distinct lack of White’s presence. We see Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby as prevalent when White isn’t around. With TKO Boxing kicking off in a big way, White’s face at UFC events is likely to decrease.
But who may take over? It could certainly be Maynard or Shelby, but a more likely candidate is UFC Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President, Hunter Campbell. A man who previously stuck to the shadows, Campbell has been influential in making huge fights in recent years. Ariel Helwani once described Campbell as the third most influential person in the business.
It’s understood that Campbell is in charge of almost every fight deal and is often threatening to strip UFC championship titles should the holder not defend their belt, something that would get over with fans in a massive way *Cough Jon Jones cough*.
Big names in the sport, such as Daniel Cormier, argue that Campbell is the right man for the job. He stated: ‘He plays such an important role’ when discussing Campbell earlier this year. To have the backing of such an influential figure in the UFC is certainly beneficial.
Will White’s work with TKO Boxing slowly take him away from the UFC altogether? With no White heading up the UFC, it could have a huge, negative impact. TKO boxing will become more prevalent and the UFC will take a back seat.
White’s venture into the world of boxing through TKO Boxing could kick off the decline of the UFC. Being the chief promoter of the UFC isn’t a part time job, but White could treat it like one…
