WBC president won’t stand in way of Dana White’s boxing league: “Support those who promote boxing!”
WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, heartily welcomes Dana White and Saudi GEA chairman Turki Alalshikh forming a boxing league.
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Mauricio Sulaiman pitches in on Dana White and Turki Alalshikh's new boxing league (Source: X)
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman sees it under his purview that Dana White is getting into boxing. UFC’s White, along with Saudi GEA chief Turki Alalshikh, has signed on for a new boxing league. It will differ from the usual model of boxing, as there will be very few weight classes than the traditional model. Now, Sulaiman gives his first reactions to the TKO venture.
Dana White and Turki Alalshikh have joined forces to bring another promotion in hopes of grinding out boxing. The league will have athlete combines and full UFC PI access for boxers to train in. The UFC boss even recently teased details about it all. Mauricio Sulaiman, though, is anything but upset over the formation of this fledgling boxing league.
The WBC’s position is clear and simple: We are not going to speculate, much less put obstacles in the way of the arrival of a new company. Rather, we will offer openness and full support to those who promote boxing…We are not going to fall into provocations, nor react to so many lines and shades of opinion in which negative scenarios are presented, people — and groups trying to wield knives by proposing scenarios of confrontation between the actors and elements of the current boxing industry.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman to the Ring Magazine
Mauricio Sulaiman said that his WBC will not respond or cause any provocation as to where the scope of their promotions clash. Overall, he thought another such league is beneficial for the sport itself. Ironically – this is quite the shade on Dana White himself for those who get it. With this mentality for crossover and additions, he and the UFC could have punctuated some huge mega fights!
Turki Alalshikh and TKO Group will fund the boxing league (Saudi GEA backing). Meanwhile, Dana White will look to the business side of things and run it. Even his biggest detractors (like Oscar De La Hoya) have not outright bashed the chance that His Excellency handed over boxing reigns to him. All in all, it’s looking up for White and his boxing dreams. Concurrently, this isn’t the only project in the pipeline.
UFC and TKO Holdings to spend “$10-12M” on BJJ, UFC FPI contracts to give “finish” bonuses
Just days after the conclusion of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 (UFC FPI 10), Dana White revealed plans to “take over” BJJ. The multi-millionaire said there is a big sum in the pipeline that will be dedicated towards the expansion in 2025. While some think TKO is investing in too many sports after a boxing league, this marks a good change.
UFC litigation exclusively signed BJJ prodigy Mikey Musumeci not long ago. Musumeci, along with grapple kingpin Gordon Ryan, will be part of the expansion. CJI champ Kade Ruotolo had already detailed as much. The UFC CEO recently said as much after the UFC 313 PPV concluded.
We’re going to invest like $10 to 12 million into jiu-jitsu over the next year, …So we’re going to go big on [jiu-jitsu]. We’re obviously going big on boxing, and we’re going to continue to do what we do with the UFC.
Dana White during UFC 313 PPV post-fight conference interviews
Legends like Demetrious Johnson have already signified that BJJ needs a push in their frequent grind. The competitive jiu-jitsu scene is still pretty slim, with even long-running BJJ organizations paying very little. The clash of marquee setups often sees organizations squabbling. So, White’s entry would still be a good pump in the sport’s continued growth.
UFC veteran Claudia Gadelha, who is in charge of matchmaking for UFC FPI, also revealed contractual deeds for grapplers. It is to vastly differ from the usual “show + win” pay scale and compliance payments. UFC PI contracts are to grant bonuses for finishers instead of just performance-based win money.
While an entirely new idea, it does provide something MMA could take from it. A skill-based payment like this minimizes the chance of fighters begging for a fixed $50,000 bonus on cable PPV. Food for thought for future, maybe.
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