So here’s the headline: Dana White has conquered MMA. He turned the UFC into an $11.3 billion beast, bigger than anyone in combat sports thought possible. But now? He’s setting his sights on a different ring—the sweet science of boxing. And let’s be honest, if there’s one sport that could use a shake-up, it’s boxing. Earlier this year, Dana dropped hints about expansion, and by September, boom—he’s testing the waters with Callum Walsh vs. Przemyslaw Runowski in Dublin under the UFC Fight Pass banner. And guess what? The event worked. It didn’t just fill seats—it sent shockwaves through boxing, proving White can bring his trademark chaos and scale to a new arena.

That success didn’t go unnoticed. Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn even admitted on the PBD podcast, “I am very jealous of the almost complete control they have over their talent.” White later addressed those remarks in a separate interview with Noah Kara on YouTube, offering a rare acknowledgment of a competitor’s perspective. And while boxers may appear to earn more than UFC fighters, the sport still faces deeper problems. With White now pushing for Zuffa Boxing once the Muhammad Ali Act takes shape, the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission weighed in on why, as boxing chases perfection, the UFC already thrives with fighters like Justin Gaethje.

Boxing is broken by too much control

On the Weighing In YouTube channel, veteran referee John McCarthy sat down with Andy Foster, the executive director of the CSAC, to talk about the differences between matchmaking in MMA and boxing. McCarthy pointed out that while there are times when fighters aren’t matched up against the best, “for the most part, if I am watching MMA, I know… I will see a lot of the best versus the best throughout the year, not waiting 7 to 8 years.”

Foster agreed, explaining that MMA promotions have a financial incentive to make competitive fights. “Just whether it’s Scott [Coker] or whether it’s Dana White… there is a financial incentive to make good fights because you want people to watch your TV show… you want people to buy your tickets,” he said. In boxing, however, the model often works differently. Foster explained that when one fighter is the “A-side” and the other doesn’t have strong promotional backing, the matchup can feel more like a showcase. That’s why terms like “journeyman” or “opponent” get used so often in boxing.

He noted that protecting an undefeated record is more important in boxing, while MMA is far more forgiving of losses. “In mixed martial arts, if you get a loss or two losses, or for goodness sake, you can get five losses, 10 losses, if you are still fighting good, they’ll…” Foster said with a laugh, suggesting fighters can still draw attention and big fights despite setbacks.

McCarthy then used Justin Gaethje as an example, pointing out that while Gaethje was undefeated when he entered the UFC, his record now stands at 26-5. Despite the losses, McCarthy emphasized that they all came against top-level opponents like Eddie Alvarez and Max Holloway. “Who doesn’t want to watch Justin Gaethje fight? Who? How could you not watch him fight?” he asked, highlighting how fans value action and excitement over perfect records.

In the end, he closed by comparing Gaethje to Arturo Gatti in boxing. In case you already didn’t know, Gatti’s record may not have been flawless, but fans tuned in because the 40-9 boxer always put on an incredible fight. “I knew that every time I turned on one of his fights, he was going to fight his ass off. And that’s what you’re looking for. I don’t give a damn what his record is,” McCarthy said, driving home the point that performance and entertainment often outweigh an undefeated streak in combat sports. So while boxing’s current model shows clear flaws, the real question is, can Dana White be the one to fix it?

Why boxing may need a UFC-style makeover

Dana White is putting real money into boxing with the launch of Zuffa Boxing under the TKO banner, aiming to shake up a sport many believe is stuck in the past. On the Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson pointed out that hardcore fans are clinging to tradition, even though “it’s not working.” He reminded John McCarthy that boxing’s struggles have been obvious for over 15 years, and said trying something new might be the only way forward.

Thomson also pushed back at critics of White’s plans. “It ain’t your money that people are spending to try and do it,” he said, stressing that fans and media don’t carry the financial risk. His point was clear: innovation comes from those willing to put up the money, and Dana White is taking that leap.

John McCarthy added that boxing’s real problem is fear of change. “For the most part, people fear change. It’s the unknown and they fear it,” he explained. Further arguing that the sport’s fragmented promotions, pay disputes, and mismatched fights prove that boxing has plenty of room for improvement, and maybe Zuffa Boxing is the push it needs.

Thomson also shared his own experience of sacrificing pay for MMA’s growth, saying, “I took less money when I shouldn’t have, for the greater group of the sport.” Both he and McCarthy agreed that reform isn’t optional anymore. As McCarthy summed up, real change could mean even non-champions “might still earn enough to buy homes, support their families, and send their kids to school.” Dana’s the one willing to take the gamble, while everyone else is just pointing fingers.

McCarthy added the closer: boxing’s biggest fear is change itself. “It’s the unknown and they fear it,” he said. And honestly, he’s not wrong. Too many belts, too many promoters, too much protecting undefeated records—it’s outdated. Dana wants to rip that system apart.