Dana White was supposed to be part of the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury circus. Instead, the UFC boss is staying on the sidelines. Joshua and Fury are finally getting ready for their long-awaited heavyweight showdown, with the fight officially set for December 11 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. But when the promotional machine kicks into overdrive, the UFC CEO won’t be standing alongside the two stars.

That absence is a little more interesting than it sounds. Dana White has been caught in an increasingly public back-and-forth over his involvement in the fight, with Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn previously making it pretty clear that he didn’t want the UFC CEO involved in promoting Joshua’s matchup.

Now, White has explained why he won’t be at the launch press conference in London. And apparently, it’s not because of Hearn.

“I would have been there if I didn’t have The Contender series,” he said at the Contender Series press conference.

Dana White’s explanation comes after days of uncertainty over just how much of a role he’d actually have in the Joshua-Fury blockbuster.

Eddie Hearn had even threatened to skip the press conference if the situation surrounding the UFC boss wasn’t sorted out. Then Netflix dropped its announcement and made things even more interesting by including White alongside the Ring.

At the heart of all this is Dana White’s involvement with Zuffa Boxing, the project he’s working on with Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh.

There has been some debate over whether White is actually serving as a promoter of the Joshua-Fury fight or simply helping Alalshikh behind the scenes. On Zuffa Boxing’s recent show, commentator Max Kellerman suggested the latter.

“He’s purely assisting Turki Alalshikh, who has been the engine behind about every big fight in boxing over the last handful of years,” he said.

Kellerman suggested White was merely assisting Alalshikh, but the UFC boss has repeatedly insisted that he is a promoter and has continued to stand by that position throughout the saga.

Meanwhile, Hearn has made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want one of Joshua’s biggest promotional rivals anywhere near the fight.

“I’ve said to Netflix, and we’ve got a lot of stuff to still sort around the fight, the preferences of who gets what,” Hearn said during an interview with iFL TV. “We’re supposed to do a press conference next week.

“I’m not sure whether that’ll happen or not, to be honest with you, because there are a few things that need ironing out. And (White’s involvement) is still one of them.”

And when the Netflix announcement dropped with Dana White’s name included, Hearn clearly wasn’t thrilled. He joked that the Zuffa boss had basically forced his way into the announcement after trying to bring the fight to the United States.

“When I saw the press release, I couldn’t stop p—— myself because it was like, ‘You really got them to include your name in the press release. You’ve lost, mate. You did everything you could to bring the fight to America to rob the British fans,'” he said.

Things got even spicier when Turki Alalshikh posted a photo of himself FaceTiming Dana White, while Netflix also tagged the UFC boss in its announcement. But after all that back-and-forth, the UFC boss isn’t acting like there’s any confusion whatsoever about his role in the fight.

Dana White hits back at confusion over his Fury-Joshua role

Dana White didn’t just explain why he’ll miss the press conference; he also pushed back hard on the idea that there’s any confusion about his role in the Joshua-Fury blockbuster. According to the UFC CEO, there isn’t even a debate.

“There’s no confusion whatsoever,” White said. The UFC boss has maintained that he is officially involved in promoting the fight, rejecting the suggestion that he is merely assisting Turki Alalshikh in a personal capacity.

“If you look at everything from the network to the guy who’s actually f—— paying for it, and to me saying what I’ve said,” he continued. “I mean, I’ve been saying it now, feels like for f—— years, but it’s probably been weeks, but I’ve been saying the same thing.”

“Everything that I’ve been saying is the truth,” he added. “And why would I say it and double down, and triple down, and f—— quadruple down if it wasn’t the case?

“This isn’t a hesitation; this is an ego thing; a total ego thing.”

Dana White then zoomed out from the Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury drama and took a shot at the bigger picture. The UFC CEO argued that boxing simply isn’t as big in the United States as it was 20 years ago.

In his view, the sport has become increasingly tied to Britain, which he believes is a major reason his involvement has triggered so much backlash.

“Boxing has taken a hit in the United States,” White said. “It’s not as big as it was here 20 years ago. It has become a very British sport, and all the s—you’re hearing, and the crying, and the b—— is all coming from the UK.”

For now, though, Dana White won’t be anywhere near the stage when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally kick off the last leg of their promotional run. Joshua is expected to be joined by Hearn, while ‘The Gypsy King’ will have Frank Warren and Spencer Brown by his side.

The fight is set for December 11 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, with around 75,000 fans expected to pack the venue for a matchup that has taken years of failed negotiations, delays, and false starts to finally become a reality.

And while Dana White might be missing the launch press conference because of his Contender Series commitments, that hasn’t stopped his role in the blockbuster from becoming one of the biggest storylines surrounding Joshua vs. Fury.