What happened to Dana White being so adamant about Zuffa Boxing not doing business with the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO?
In the buildup to the launch of Zuffa Boxing, White made it clear from the start that his fledgling promotion, which is being funded by Saudi Arabia's Sela and Turki Alalshikh, would not work with the four major boxing organizations to make fights.
"I am not interested in working with sanctioning bodies," White said in March 2025. "I have no interest in it whatsoever.”
Sixteen months later, and six months into Zuffa Boxing operating, that no longer appears to be the case.
In its brief existence this year, Zuffa already has made some splash signings with established big names in Jai Opetaia, Conor Benn, and most recently Shakur Stevenson.
And Zuffa is co-promoting the WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn on Sept. 19 in Las Vegas.
When asked Sunday for his thoughts on if those Zuffa fighters and future signings want to compete for any of the four major title belts, White appeared to soften his stance.
"On a case-by-case basis, trying to figure out what the fighters want and what their goals are, we will try to figure out whatever we can do to make those fights happen," White said.
Those remarks did not go unnoticed by Jake Paul, who took to X to put White on blast.
"They went from shitting on all of the boxing sanctioning bodies and how they need to get rid of them for the good of boxing to now this," Paul wrote. "Truth is we need to further align promoters and the sanctioning bodies to create the biggest opportunities for boxers. That should be the goal.
"More transparency, more collaboration and more big fights."
They went from shitting on all of the boxing sanctioning bodies and how they need to get rid of them for the good of boxing to now this.
Truth is we need to further align promoters and the sanctioning bodies to create the biggest opportunities for boxers. That should be the… https://t.co/Ln1joFYqBx— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 27, 2026
Whether or not White continues down his current train of thought depends on the status of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act. The TKO-backed bill would allow for unified boxing organizations, which would allow Zuffa Boxing to operate as the UFC does in mixed martial arts, with its own title belts and the ability to sign fighters to exclusive contracts.
In March, the revised Ali Act passed through the House of Representatives. It is currently awaiting a scheduled vote in the U.S. Senate. before it could go to President Trump's desk for signing by early 2027.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jake Paul calls out Dana White for softening stance on boxing sanctioning bodies
