UFC CEO Dana White has firmly established himself as one of the greatest combat sports promoters of all time. From running a company once buried in debt, he transformed the UFC into a billion-dollar empire — the biggest MMA promotion in the world. Under his leadership, the organization continues to thrive and expand, with events being held across the globe and more on the horizon.

Now, as he delves deeper into the boxing world, Dana White is ready to co-promote one of the year’s most anticipated super middleweight showdowns: Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, scheduled for September 13 in Las Vegas. The bout is being promoted by White and his team in collaboration with Saudi boxing powerhouse Turki Alalshikh as part of the Riyadh Season. However, the UFC CEO’s long-standing image as strictly an MMA promoter has become something of a double-edged sword.

Dana White opens up about his choice to wear a custom Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford tee

But detaching himself from the UFC brand hasn’t been easy for Dana White. Because his name is so closely tied to the Octagon, White has used a small but noticeable tactic — regularly wearing a custom Canelo vs. Crawford T-shirt at press events, subtly signaling his role outside the UFC banner. The move didn’t go unnoticed, sparking chatter across social media. The Bossman finally addressed the reason behind the shirt in his latest appearance on the Full Send podcast.

When asked, “What are you doing with—so, cuz I see all you do is rock this the Canelo Crawford shirt… So, what’s your involvement with that and how does it affect the UFC?”, Dana White responded, “I’m promoting the fight. Yeah. So, the reason that I wear the Canelo Crawford shirt when I’m doing Canelo Crawford press is so people don’t mistakenly think that I’m doing a UFC press conference. cuz I think when everybody sees me, they associate UFC immediately. So, I always wear the Canelo Crawford shirt when I’m doing a Canelo Crawford…I’m promoting the fight. We’re me and my team are running that fight.”

The upcoming Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight marks Dana White’s return to boxing promotion after an eight-year hiatus. His first major foray into the sport came in 2017, when he played a pivotal role in orchestrating the blockbuster crossover between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather—a spectacle that generated record-breaking pay-per-view numbers and delivered massive paydays for both the Irishman and White.

Now, Dana White is stepping back into the boxing spotlight, co-promoting one of the most anticipated matchups in modern combat sports. The event also involves UFC’s parent company, TKO Holdings, along with key executives from WWE, UFC’s sister brand—underscoring the powerful cross-brand influence behind this mega-event.

White clears the air on TKO’s role in the Canelo–Crawford fight

Back in May, as more details emerged about the highly anticipated Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford super fight, questions began to swirl around Dana White’s role in the event. At that time, Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh announced that Sela, not White & would promote the fight—prompting speculation that the UFC president might be stepping away from the boxing event.

But just a month later, Alalshikh took to social media to set the record straight, declaring, “Dana White will promote this fight,” and confirming that the event—set for September at Allegiant Stadium—would indeed involve White’s promotional team. The mixed signals had left fans confused about who was truly behind the blockbuster event. Last week, Dana White finally cleared up the confusion last week during his appearance on the Full Send podcast.

White skipped the first press fly-in in New York, leaving Turki Alalshikh to take the stage solo. This has sparked chatter that White is playing his cards close to the vest, saving his public appearances for the lead-up to fight week.

The 55-year-old revealed that the Canelo vs. Crawford bout is merely a one-off project, done as a favor, and that his official entry into boxing is still under wraps. He explained, “The stuff that I’m doing with boxing, we haven’t even announced yet. Nobody even knows what the f*ck I am doing…This (Canelo vs. Crawford) is a one-time deal. I’m promoting this fight for Sheikh Turki, and then we’ll announce what we’re going to be doing. What we’re going to be doing will kick off next year.”

Media reports are buzzing with the news that the TKO-branded boxing league is set to kick off in 2026. Future events will make the most of UFC’s Performance Institute facilities, teaming up with Netflix and other global broadcast partners to bring the action to fans everywhere.

At the June 22 press conference, Dana White pledged that the performance bonus for standout fighters on fight night would be “over six figures”, significantly exceeding typical UFC performance bonuses (~$50,000)—a move praised by fans online as a sign of higher athlete reward standards.

So, for fans eager to witness the official launch of Dana White’s boxing promotion, the wait continues until 2026. We’ll keep you posted as soon as more details emerge. Until then, stay tuned.