After years of dominating the fight business with his MMA promotion, UFC CEO Dana White is stepping back into boxing with Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, streaming live tomorrow on Netflix. The last time White promoted a boxing event was the blockbuster Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor showdown in 2017, one of the biggest fights in combat sports history. With Canelo vs. Crawford, White is aiming to build a boxing brand as dominant as the UFC is in MMA or the NBA is in basketball. But while White’s ambitions are sky-high, Eddie Hearn, a close friend of his, isn’t quite convinced he can deliver as easily as White expects, openly questioning whether Dana truly knows the boxing business well enough to challenge old-school promoters like him.

Yesterday, as Dana White sat down with The W.A.D.E. Concept for the first time, he didn’t hold back. He revealed his plans to have Conor McGregor headline the long-rumored UFC White House card and fired back at Eddie Hearn’s recent claim of being the better promoter. Asked about whether the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight marks the start of his deeper push into boxing, White explained how the deal came together with HE Turki Alalshikh, saying he believes he can bring real value to the sport.

Dana White on what drives him

Responding directly to Hearn’s criticism, White admitted, “Fair enough to him, where he says that he thinks I don’t know enough about the boxing business and all this stuff. I am going to stay in my little world like I always do.” He explained that his “own little world” often leaves him out of touch with mainstream pop culture, even admitting he discovered pop star Billie Eilish just “two weeks ago”.

White described how he stumbled across an old video of Eilish performing at a festival as a teenager. The crowd’s energy amazed him, and he said he watched the clip over and over again. “I love that kind of stuff. I love that young talent,” Dana White said, praising the way she and her brother connected with fans through their music.

He also pointed to her breakout hit ‘Bad Guy’, which earned her two Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 2020, misnaming it at first but highlighting its success. “And then I looked at the bad guy or tough guy, I don’t know the name of the song, but then when you look at the official video, it’s got 1.3 billion views,” White said, noting how impressive it was for someone so young to reach that level of global impact.

For White, the takeaway was bigger than music. “Whatever business you are in, whatever walk of life you are in, you always have the ability to find somebody that connects with people—the Conor McGregors, the Ronda Rouseys, the Billie Eilishs, these type of people. I love going out and trying to find those kind of people,” he explained, highlighting his aim for his new boxing promotion.

To him, the magic lies in discovering talent that resonates with the world on a massive scale, which is where he finds his place. And in case you missed it, Dana White has already stacked a 70-fighter army for his boxing takeover.

UFC CEO ready to take on the best of the best

Speaking to Vegas PBS, Dana White revealed just how far along the project already is: “Right now, we probably have between 60 and 70 fighters under contract.” The plan, however, still hinges on the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which has not yet been passed in Congress. When asked how he managed to bring fighters on board despite tough competition, Dana White pointed to the many options available for athletes. He also acknowledged rivals, saying, “Eddie Hearn is a great promoter… You got Frank Warren out in the UK, too… We’re all going to have to compete and we’re all going to try to be better than the other guy to get the best talent.”

The 56-year-old further pushed back on the perception that boxing automatically means bigger paychecks. While some stars earn millions, he noted that many fighters don’t see that kind of money, meaning joining Zuffa Boxing “may not make much of a difference” for them unless offered huge paydays. Still, he stressed his real competition isn’t just promoters. “I compete with the NFL, I compete with the NBA, I compete with big movie studios. Whatever takes your attention on Saturday night is my competition.”

Looking ahead, White admitted that entering boxing presents a new challenge compared to his decades in MMA. “It’s a totally different world than MMA,” he said, adding that while he has 25 years of UFC experience, his first year in boxing will test him against established names like Hearn and Warren. Even so, White made it clear his ambition is to disrupt the industry in the same way he once transformed MMA. That said, do you think Dana White can do that?