Drama, stakes, characters the world can’t look away from, Dana White believes that’s the formula that keeps fans glued to a screen, whether it’s MMA, boxing, or the most chaotic Game 7 in the MLB in years. And in his recent appearance on the Flagrant podcast, the UFC CEO used an unexpected example to explain why he thinks boxing keeps losing ground while the UFC continues to dominate.

But the conversation didn’t begin with baseball. It began with Andrew Schulz describing boxing’s old, familiar problem: empty arenas until the main event, predictable “tomato can” matchmaking, and fans only showing up when the headliner walks out. Schulz contrasted that with the UFC, where crowds pack the prelims and every bout feels meaningful!

Dana White uses MLB to prove his point on why boxing has fallen behind

Dana White didn’t argue, he doubled down as he insisted the UFC’s secret isn’t just the athletes, stating, “It’s because of the matchmaking. There’s a couple of things that you have to have, in the equation, to build something. First of all you have to have talented people, fighting at the right time and there always has to be, what’s at stake? What I’m selling is what’s at stake here.”

The thought process is simple, if nothing is on the line, fans simply don’t care. And to prove it, White pointed to something far outside combat sports: the 2025 World Series Game 7 between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, a matchup he swore he didn’t care about in the slightest.

The UFC head honcho laughed as he told Schulz and the crew, “Let me tell you what I don’t give a sh— about. The f— Dodgers and the Blue Jays, I couldn’t give a flying f— about any of that, who wins whatever happens. But guess what, they went in and Ohtani gets on base… and all this sh— happens. Me and all my friends, as soon as we get back from the middle east, we watch Game 7.”

White revealed that he and his friends had just returned from the Middle East, yet they dropped everything to watch it. Why? “Coz there was so much at stake and so many big things happened and so many stars and records that could be broken… And guess what, people start giving a sh—.”

As such, in the UFC boss’s eyes, boxing rarely provides that. Too often, he argued, promoters protect undefeated records instead of making real fights. The UFC’s structure forces contenders to collide, while boxing’s fractured landscape often avoids such collisions entirely.

So when Schulz asked if that same philosophy, matchmaking with stakes, would define Dana White’s future in boxing, the promoter didn’t hesitate as he stated on the Flagrant podcast, “A 100%.”

White isn’t just critiquing boxing from the outside. He’s preparing to step inside. In 2026, Zuffa Boxing will launch under a new broadcast deal with Paramount and CBS Sports. And that’s where the Muhammad Ali Act enters the picture.

For years, White has said the Ali Act limits boxing promotions and slows the sport down. Critics, however, accuse him of wanting UFC-style control over athletes, consolidating belts, restricting bargaining power, and centralizing matchmaking.

But in a recent CBS Sports interview, White insisted his goal isn’t to dismantle the Act, it’s to “add on to it,” as he shared, “I knew people were going to freak out because that’s what people do. The Muhammad Ali Act was put in place with all good intentions, but I think that it has held the business back.”

According to Sports Business Journal, the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 7 averaged 25.5 million U.S. viewers, peaked at 31.5 million, and drew another 10.9 million in Canada. Drama still sells when the stakes are real. And that’s exactly Dana White’s point. However, does his matchmaking philosophy also lead to some fighters getting preferential treatment?

UFC boss fires back at criticism over “Dana White privilege”

The brighter the spotlight, the sharper the criticism, and nowhere is that clearer than in the long-running debate over “Dana White privilege.” Back in 2022, Tony Ferguson famously jabbed Michael Chandler by saying he enjoyed “Dana White privilege” after receiving a massive promotional push and a title shot early in his UFC run. What began as a meme quickly became part of MMA vocabulary. And as more fighters echoed Ferguson’s complaint over the years, the phrase grew teeth. But Dana White insists the accusation misses the point entirely.

Speaking on the Triggernometry podcast, he dismissed the idea that he handpicks favorites while others grind unnoticed as he stated, “Here’s the stupidity in ‘Dana White privilege’ — when you bring guys in there’s people that you think could possibly become world champions. Everybody wants to become a world champion. Well there’s people that you think have a much better chance than others do. So you prop these people up and you put them in positions and see what they’re capable of doing.”

And he didn’t shy away from naming examples. Conor McGregor? Accused of privilege, yet became “arguably one of the biggest superstars in sports, let alone the UFC.” Ronda Rousey? Same accusation, yet she “literally launched female fighting” for the company.

To him, that’s not favoritism. As for those who complain? White didn’t sugarcoat it as he stated, “I didn’t have the ‘Dana White privilege,’ and I didn’t have this, and I didn’t have that and those type of people are always going to exist.”

So what does all this mean for boxing’s supposed revival and White’s attempt to reshape it? It means he’s betting that the future of combat sports isn’t built on protection but on pressure. Not on preserving perfect records, but on creating moments that pull millions into living rooms the way Blue Jays vs. Dodgers did!