Dana White and TKO Group may soon realize that shaping the boxing world to their liking is far more complicated than expected. In July, U.S. Representatives Brian Jack (R-Ga.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) introduced a bipartisan bill—the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act—aimed at updating the original Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act and the Professional Boxing Safety Act. The purpose? 

To allow TKO Group’s new boxing venture, Zuffa Boxing, led by Dana White, to establish Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs). These bodies would oversee rankings, sanction UBO titles, and stage events similar to the UFC model. The bill quickly won support from TKO Group and Muhammad Ali’s widow, Yolanda ‘Lonnie’ Ali. On Monday, the California State Athletic Commission convened to decide whether to endorse it. And boy, did it go horribly for White!

The mother of Ronda Rousey is very concerned

As the meeting began, twelve people were handed the mic for two minutes each—so they could share their opinion on the bill. This included former MMA fighters, journalists, managers, and lawyers—but none of them had anything good to say about it. Ronda Rousey’s mother, Dr. AnnMaria DeMars, who is also a commissioner of CSAC, rained down hellfire on the bill after a stream of incendiary public commentary about the bill. 

“I’m very concerned that all the public comments went in one direction,” she said after the public comments. “There’s no point in having public comment if we don’t pay attention to it. These are the people who stand in that ring and show what they’re made of, and they are very much concerned about this.” This is despite her own daughter making $13 million from 2011 to 2016 in the UFC, per the documents revealed in the class-action lawsuit filed against UFC by more than 1,200 MMA fighters.

As of the time of writing, CSAC has postponed its motion to support the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. Furthermore, a two-person committee is said to review the bill and the opinions presented during the meeting, and share feedback with CSAC during their meeting in the final month of this year. Regardless, now the question is, were the comments made during the meeting really that bad? 

Dana White would not have liked these remarks

During the meeting, CSAC executive director Andy Foster wanted the commission to jump straight to the vote, skipping the comments. Why? Well, presumably because of all the negative comments the bill was receiving. Rachel Donaire, the manager and wife of Nonito Donaire, lashed out, asking, “Why are we even letting a brand new player walk in and dictate the rules to a sport they haven’t built?”

“You risk your life, you deserve leverage at the table. But the UBO, they cap purses. They strip fighters of negotiation power before they even sit down,” she added. She argued that even with the exclusion of sanctioning fees, the bill would cut off the potential pay so badly that sanction fees would not matter. “What good is a belt if it leaves you broke?” Daniel Martinez, a former UFC fighter, also joined the call to share his experience fighting under TKO.

He revealed that he fought for Zuffa in two different contracts, and his experience was horrible. “[For the] first one, they gave me a six-fight contract. I fought the top guy in the world, lost, he moved up, [and] I sat out for two years. Another time I signed for Zuffa, [for a] four-fight contract, [I] won Fight of the Night [and still] sat out for a year and a half.” He also claimed that during those inactive periods, he was training full-time, but didn’t make any money. 

It appears the California State Athletic Commission may not end up supporting the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. However, this doesn’t mean the bill won’t get passed anyway. Only time will tell what the future holds for Zuffa Boxing. Do you think the bill is fair to the fighters?