Remember, The Contender?
Well, it isn’t getting rebooted sadly, but a new boxing show is coming in 2026 — and it’s going to seem overly familiar. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White is launching a boxing version of Contender Series in 2026.
“Basically, in 26’ I’m going to start my show, and what I’m going to do is basically like the Contender Series,” White said. ”The best will fight the best, undefeated guys will fight undefeated guys, and you will care about the first fight of the night,
not just the main event.“
“So, I will build stars, put on great fights, and then these guys will graduate and fight for Turki, which they will determine how much they get paid,“ White concluded.
Yes, that Turki — Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, the man currently reshaping the boxing landscape with an endless oil-funded war chest.
At least White isn’t dragging boxers through some Ultimate Fighter-style reality slog, like he recently did with jiu-jitsu hopefuls and (sigh) Power Slap contestants. Instead, he’s sticking with a formula that’s worked like gangbusters for UFC.
Contender Series has been a pipeline of stars and highlight-reel moments for years, so a boxing spin-off feels like a logical step. The real question? Whether this is White’s only play in boxing, or if his “star factory” is just going to be a feeder system for Saudi Arabia’s mega-cards.
Expect more answers later this week as the fight world gears up for the historic Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford showdown in Las Vegas. Stay tuned.
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