White made the remark during a press conference following Sunday’s event, where Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton to become Zuffa Boxing’s first cruiserweight champion.

“I’m going to sign anyone who we think has the potential to be a world champion,” Dana said when asked what players Zuffa plans to recruit.

The comment reflects how Dana wants to build the squad. Rather than develop a immense pool of prospects, Zuffa seems willing to sign established contenders and titleholders from several divisions. White mentioned specific fighters when describing the level of talent the company is pursuing, pointing to lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk as examples of fighters he considers among the best in the sport.

Zuffa is entering the market with financial backing tied to Saudi Arabia’s investment in major boxing events, which has already generated immense funds for high-profile fights in recent years. This level of funding could allow the organization to compete for players who normally operate under long-term contracts with other organizers.

The approach is reminiscent of the one White used to build the UFC, where the promotion gradually brought many of the sport’s top fighters under one promotional banner. Dana also suggested that Zuffa could enhance the number of events if its roster grows, noting that the company has held four boxing events so far and could eventually host a much larger schedule if it signs more fighters.

For now, White has made his position clear. Zuffa intends to pursue players who are capable of winning world titles and build their squad around them.

The comment was a clear sign of how Dana plans to build the organization’s roster as Zuffa continues to expand its presence in boxing.

Dana White has a unique insight into the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao rematch scheduled for September this year.

The two boxing icons will face each other 11 years after their first meeting, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision, and both are now within 50 points of each other.

Although many fans doubt that the level of action guarantees a lot of excitementthe event headlining the first boxing card at The Sphere in Las Vegas, combined with the nostalgia, may prove to be reason enough to tune in.

Speaking at the Zuffa Boxing 04 post-fight press conference in which Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton for the promotion’s inaugural cruiserweight title, White was asked if he had any advice for the event at The Sphere.

“Who’s promoting? S**t. I wonder who’s paying for the production. They’re in for a large surprise. It’s incredibly high-priced. I wonder. Someone better call.”

Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 is directed by Manny Pacquiao Promotions with significant support from Netflix.

In September 2024, in a futuristic place, White organized the UFC 306 gala, the main attraction of which was the victory of Merab Dvalishvili over Sean O’Malley in the fight for the world bantamweight title. The “Noche UFC” event, which coincided with Mexico’s Independence Day weekend, was the first live sporting event held at the venue and generated record promotion.

Shortly after the event, said the UFC and Zuffa promoter: :

“When you see what we did at Sphere, it’s like, I don’t know if it’ll ever happen again. We spent over $20 million on it and it was a one-of-a-kind night, it was a fucking amazing night. If my production team doesn’t win every fucking award available in the production, all those awards will be shit.”

This seems to be an appropriate venue for the upcoming rematch, which, although professionally sanctioned, is more about the spectacle than the sporting merits. Few matchups in sports can justify the scale of need. Even in 2026, Mayweather and Pacquiao will fit into this plan.

The criticism came when reporters asked about the IBF’s decision earlier in the week to withdraw recognition of Opetai’s title defense during fight week. The sanctioning body initially approved the fight before changing course shortly before the event, leaving the IBF title on the line.

Dana said the situation reflects issues he has noticed since starting his playing career.

“This sport is broken for a reason,” Dana said during the press conference. “They’re all a bunch of rinky-dink.”

White continued the criticism by describing those involved in running the sport.

“These people are bad at what they do,” Dana said.

Dana also noted that Opetaia had already paid the sanction fee before the IBF withdrew recognition of the title defense.

Dana said his early boxing experiences surprised him with how the sport works and how many of its problems remain unresolved.

White said Zuffa plans to exploit the same promotional model that helped build the UFC. This approach focuses on acquiring players that the organization considers among the best in their divisions and organizing regular events built around recognizable names.

Dana also pointed to the number of promoters and sanctioning bodies operating in boxing as one of the reasons the sport is struggling to solve many of its long-standing problems. Several organizations sanction world championship titles in the sport, often requiring separate approval and fees when belts are put on the line.

White argued that the structure created complications when trying to stage major fights. The IBF situation surrounding the Opetaia fight was one of the first disputes between Zuffa Boxing and the classic sanctioning body since the promotion entered the sport.

The comments reflected Dana’s view that many of boxing’s problems stem from the way the sport is run.