Dana White‘s absence during UFC 316 fight week raised questions. Skipping the press conference and ceremonial weigh-ins felt strange, especially on a bill headlined by Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili. When the UFC CEO began getting more vocal about the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight that he is promoting, rumors intensified. Was he slowly stepping away from the UFC? Well, Ariel Helwani has provided us with an answer.

Dana White missing the UFC 316 weigh-in isn’t an isolated incident. The head honcho did not attend the post-fight press conference at UFC 315 and has not attended weigh-ins since UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. That was months ago, and this time the event was held in Newark, which is much closer to home.

Meanwhile, his focus is surely shifting toward boxing, notably his joint venture with Turki Alalshikh and the highly anticipated Canelo vs. Crawford bout on September 13. So, is he finally retiring from MMA? Well, according to Ariel Helwani, White has not left the UFC; he is simply not involved on a daily basis.

“He’s still very much affiliated—and in many respects, the face—but it’s more from a figurehead standpoint,” Helwani said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s not doing the negotiations. Hunter Campbell is doing the ‘weed work,’ if you will.” So, even though White’s hands aren’t on the controls, his presence looms over the brand.

Helwani noted that White is drawn to projects that ignite his passion. “When it comes to the Dana we see at Slap Fighting or even this new boxing project, you’ll see elements of the old Dana come out.” As a result, the MMA journalist believes that a part of the UFC CEO feels the job is done here, and the whole thing can kind of roll without him.

So, Dana White’s heart, it seems, now beats louder for new ventures. Still, a full exit is unlikely. “I don’t think he wants to go anywhere,” Helwani said. “I’d say the odds are like minus 500, minus 1000, that he’ll still be here.” White may be pivoting, but not parting.

For the time being, he’s shifting his focus—but is still the face of the UFC. And that does not stop him from finding new energy on boxing’s grandest platform. In fact, he just landed his first promotional fight deal with Netflix!

Dana White gets the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight on Netflix

White may be easing off the gas pedal with UFC duties, but the engine is revving elsewhere. His next chapter isn’t a quiet one; it is bold, ambitious, and definitely global. The head honcho previously made headlines for slap fighting, and now he’s bringing boxing back into the spotlight. In Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford, he skips the long build and jumps right into the action.

This is not just another superfight. It’s the kind of showdown that boxing fans dream about but rarely receive. An unbeaten multi-division monarch like Crawford facing a living icon like Canelo for undisputed gold in Las Vegas would be a tremendous affair under any banner, but it becomes even more significant when streamed globally on Netflix.

Dana White shared his excitement in an Instagram post, as he wrote, “Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I’m going to get to promote is Canelo vs. Crawford?” It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime fight. Live on Saturday, September 13, streaming globally on Netflix, two of the GREATEST boxers in the sport will meet in a historic fight from Las Vegas.”

And the rollout is equally ambitious. A three-city press tour begins June 20 in Riyadh and continues on to New York and Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the UFC will secretly hold Noche UFC in San Antonio on the same night. But it’s evident where Dana White’s passion lies right now. Not with titles or weigh-ins, but with a global moment—and a new battleground that lets him build again.