As the debacle surrounding Jai Opetaia and his IBF title unravels, Dana White finds himself on the defensive. Predictably, the development has given rivals like Oscar De La Hoya fresh ground to criticize White, whose ambitions to reshape boxing have already stirred concerns across the sport.

Those ambitions were on full display when Dana White signed two of Matchroom’s biggest names to his Zuffa stable. But the strategy hit turbulence when Opetaia made his Zuffa debut last week. An IBF cruiserweight titleholder, his championship now sits in jeopardy after the New Jersey-based sanctioning body reportedly took issue with Zuffa billing his headlining fight with their own belt alongside the IBF. After withdrawing its sanction for the fight against Brandon Glanton, the IBF continues to deliberate over the fate of Opetaia’s world title. To De La Hoya and others, the responsibility for the whole fiasco rests squarely with the UFC CEO.

“Jai Opetaia fought over the weekend for what he thought would be an IBF title,” De La Hoya said on the latest episode of ‘Thursday Clap Back’. “Only to find out at the press conference that he was lied to by none other than Uncle f–kin’ Fester (Dana White) and Zuffa.”

Drawing a comparison to a preteen’s soccer participation, the former world champion-turned-promoter claimed White and his team brought the IBF into the event before pivoting and promoting their in-house belt as a world title.

“These motherf–kers violated rule No. 5 of the IBF,” De La Hoya added. “After that, the sanction was pulled. Zuffa had no intention of following the IBF rules and used that deception to humiliate them. So they said, ‘F–k this,’ and they pulled out. Zuffa lied to everyone the entire time, and poor Jai Opetaia suffered because of it.”

Oscar De La Hoya continued his criticism, highlighting how White and Zuffa matched up Opetaia against a low-ranked contender like Glanton, dashing his hopes to become an undisputed champion, which now appears uncertain. He concluded with a wake-up call to the Australian fighter.

“Jai, wake up before they ruin your career, brother,” De La Hoya said. “Fester (White) is using you as a tool in all of this. Get the f–k out of there. All these guys do is lie.”

What sparked Oscar De La Hoya’s latest shot at Dana White?

While De La Hoya accused them of deception, the IBF is handling it as a rules issue. Reports shared by BoxingScene reveal that the organization is currently deliberating whether to strip Opetaia of his title for competing in an unsanctioned bout.

Opetaia’s post-fight comments, in which he reiterated his ambition to become a four-belt champion, appear to have prompted the sanctioning body to reassess its stance.

“The status of the IBF cruiserweight title remains in deliberation,” their statement via BoxingScene read. “Jai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that have led the organization’s leadership to question whether he was made completely and fully aware by his advisors of the decisions he needed to make when committing to the bout against Brandon Glanton. The organization intends to look further into this matter.”

Earlier, the IBF appeared to approve the Glanton bout based on assurances that the ‘Zuffa belt’ was merely symbolic.

However, after the pre-fight press conference, the IBF withdrew sanctioning because Zuffa publicly promoted the fight as being for its own “world cruiserweight championship.” As a result, it returned the fee and formally notified Team Opetaia.

At the center of De La Hoya’s criticism is Dana White’s initial stand on not working with any other sanctioning bodies. Later, when a champion like Jai Opetaia joined, they seemingly softened their stance, appearing to accommodate elite fighters with existing belts. Now, as the IBF weighs its decision, the episode once again raises questions about Zuffa’s willingness to operate within boxing’s established sanctioning format.