Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing is all set to make its debut at the UFC Apex on January 23, 2026. With Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo headlining the card, White’s dream of making boxing great again will officially take a major step forward. However, as the UFC head honcho prepares to transform boxing, many UFC fans feel that White may have mentally shifted his focus from the UFC to boxing after the new promo dropped.

“Is there someone who can take up the mantle for the greatest sport in human history? There’s only one way to find out,” popular social media page Championship Rounds uploaded Dana White’s extravagant Zuffa Boxing teaser.

Although the UFC CEO dressing up in a suit and tie, looking at the ring with determination, showed that he is seriously approaching his goal of dominating boxing, fans believe he might actually start giving less attention to the UFC. After watching the teaser, one fan commented, “Looks pretty good. Hope he focus on ufc soon.”  And it is true, the Zuffa Boxing trailer did look really good with the CEO’s presence. Still, fans did not stop pointing out that the UFC still needs him.

Another fan wrote, “I hope it succeeds but the UFC still needs help.” Now, fans are clearly stressing that the UFC needs help. But in what way? It is already a multi-billion-dollar company running almost on autopilot. Well, Sean O’Malley answered that question.

Last year, in an interview with Ariel Helwani, ‘Suga’ pointed out that Dana White’s announcement of UFC 324 and 325 lacked the usual energy of the promoter. Like the former 135 lbs champion, many fans also felt the spark from the President and CEO was missing. Moreover, this year, the head honcho also skipped to hype the UFC Seattle fight announcement featuring the return of Israel Adesanya against Joe Pyfer, which further upset the fans.

Continuing the wave of reactions, another fan wrote, “He should let someone else run UFC at this point. He’s mentally checked out.” There is no debate that Dana White played a massive role in turning the UFC from a struggling business into a global sports powerhouse. However, it is still too early to assume he would stop paying attention to the promotion he worked so hard to build.

Even if he does shift more focus toward boxing, the UFC is not short on capable hands. Figures like Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard have the experience to step up and guide the company forward. If White truly decides to focus on transforming boxing, the UFC still has strong leadership options ready.  

Bringing up that same point, another user commented, “Dana needs to leave MMA as soon as possible! Let Hunter Campbell take over. Dana hasn’t cared about MMA for a long time. You can see it on his face that he doesn’t want to work with it, He always shows up with a dump face and never delivers what the fans want.”

Well, the fans have definitely taken a much harsher view of Dana White promoting boxing. But it remains to be seen what the UFC CEO has in store for MMA fans in 2026 under the Paramount+ CBS era.  That said, amid the growing skepticism, White’s team has already made a huge move by signing the Aussie IBF champion into Zuffa Boxing.

Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing signed IBF Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia   

As Zuffa Boxing looks ahead to its debut bout in just a few days, the promotion has already started making some significant moves by signing top fighters. To make sure Zuffa has settled boxing talent under its banner, the team signed IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, who could not be more thrilled to join Dana White and Co.

“Hey what’s up everyone, it’s Jai Opetaia. I’ve signed 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,” the Aussie boxer said in a video on X. 

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Last year, the undefeated cruiserweight phenom put on a masterclass of a performance, as all of his wins came via knockout. Because of that stellar run, his adversaries could not even get close to taking his belts. Now, heading into 2026, Opetaia is expected to continue that dominance under the Zuffa banner as well.

That said, what do you think about Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing promotional video and their inaugural bout? Let us know in the comments section below.