Dana White is trying to launch Zuffa Boxing with the usual UFC confidence—big talk, clean branding, and the promise that this is the future of combat sports under the Paramount banner. But, with the first event just days away on January 23, the buzz hasn’t been on the fights. It has all been about the rollout. The card announcement already left some fans cold, and now the merchandise has become the bigger controversy.

Because, in classic Dana White fashion, what should have been a simple promotional item turned into a price debate overnight. Zuffa Boxing started selling commemorative gloves… except they aren’t selling them like gloves. They’re offering the left glove for $99.99, followed by the right glove for another $99.99, resulting in a total cost of around $200 for the pair. That detail piqued the internet’s interest, and Zuffa Boxing’s first big product has quickly become a joke.

Fans roast the UFC for Zuffa glove prices

The thing is, boxing gloves aren’t sold this way. People assume that “boxing glove $99.99” refers to a pair because that is how gloves are manufactured, packaged, and sold practically everywhere. Even if this is commemorative memorabilia rather than training gear, fans believe the ‘99.99’ in bold was designed to catch people off guard.

That’s why the reactions were so intense. Some came up with simple outrage, which doesn’t even require any context. “Wild prices on their website,” a fan said, as if it should be the headline. Another summed up exactly how others see it: “The grift continues.”

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Some fans went straight for the fighter-pay jokes. “I assume the $200 for them will come out of the fighter’s Zuffa check.” It wasn’t even subtle; it was simply expressing what fans have been accusing promoters of for years: everything is monetized, but fighters continue to be squeezed.

Others didn’t bother making it political. They simply noticed the number and laughed through the pain. “Dana needs to send me one; I can’t afford it,” one fan wrote. Another converted it into a classic broke-fan one-liner: “I need to borrow $200; it’s for something really important.”

The timing couldn’t be worse. Zuffa Boxing is six days out from its debut event, and fans are already treating it like a soft opening. Why? Because it is a card without major names, a smaller-scale venue vibe, and a lot of “trust us, it’ll get bigger later.” That long-term strategy may be a smart business move, but it doesn’t help when your first impressions keep turning into viral criticism.

Dana White’s boxing project might still succeed. However, in the early stages, fans are judging Zuffa not only on matchups but also on vibe. And for now, charging $99.99 per glove doesn’t feel like it will leave a legacy. It feels like another cash grab, but with better branding. Nevertheless, Dana White seems to be aware of Zuffa’s situation now and is in full damage control mode by signing the IBF cruiserweight champion.

Dana White signs IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia

Jai Opetaia‘s signing seemed like more than just a roster update; it felt like a statement. With the glove pricing being mocked and the debut card being dubbed “low star power,” Zuffa required something credible and championship-level. So, Dana White went and grabbed exactly that: the IBF cruiserweight champion, widely regarded as the best in his division.

The deal was announced on Zuffa Boxing’s X account, with Opetaia personally confirming it on video. “I’m with Zuffa Boxing now. I’m pumped for the future. Exciting times, man. Let’s get these big fights over the line: unification and undisputed, too. Let’s go.” Opetaia is 29-0 with 23 knockouts and is coming off an eighth-round KO of Huseyin Cinkara in December, his fourth straight stoppage.

At 30 years old, he’s been vocal about his frustration with not getting unification matches with the other titleholders, and Zuffa now provides him with another platform for those fights—or at least a platform to force them. It’s unknown whether he’ll be exclusive to Zuffa or continue to seek belts across other sanctioning bodies, but one thing is sure: Dana White is trying to shift the conversation from cash grab vibes to “we have a real world champion.”