Japan’s traditional year-end title bonanza appears to be underway, as U-Next announced a trio of championship bouts on November 29th at Tokyo’s venerable Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Leading the way is some variety of WBA bantamweight title rematch between “world” champion Riku Masuda (11-1, 9 KO) and former titlist Seiya Tsutsumi (13-0-3, 8 KO), who beat Masuda by unanimous decision when both were on the rise in 2023. The timeline here is, as best as I can tell:

And now, here we are. Tsutsumi, who by all rights should be owed a shot at Rodriguez, fights for a crappier version of the belt he never lost in the ring.

On the bright side, odds are we’re in for a treat. Two aggressive finishers with history between them should make for fireworks.

Three pounds south, multi-weight champion Kenshiro Teraji (26-2, 16 KO) makes his first super flyweight title defense against no. 10 contender Jassiel Ramon Amador Gamez (15-0-1, 13 KO). The 25-year-old Amador fights for the first time outside his native Mexico and for just the second time outside his home state of Baja California Sur; his strength of schedule is about what you’d expect, but unheralded Mexican knockout artists cause stirs on the regular and Teraji’s lost a step, so who knows.

Also at 115, WBA champ David Jimenez (18-1, 12 KO) faces former flyweight titlist Seigo Yuri Akui (23-3-1, 13 KO), whom you may remember from his Fight of the Year candidate against Teraji last year. There’s some f***ery at play here; the sanctioning body ordered Jimenez to rematch mandatory challenger John “Scrappy” Ramirez, only to turn around and grant Jimenez a “special permit” for this voluntary defenseclaiming it “has the authority to modify mandatory defense deadlines and grant special permits under justified circumstances.”

At no point in the press release does it say what those “justified circumstances” are. It claims that the winner must fight Ramirez within 120 days, but note their purported authority to “modify mandatory defense deadlines.”

Dana White is making Zuffa Boxing U-turns left, right and center, with the promotion now openly advertising a WBC world champion after previously refusing to work with boxing’s established sanctioning bodies or even name their titles.

World Boxing News has followed White’s changing position since he outlined plans to replace the traditional championship structure with Zuffa’s own belts.

The latest development came with the signing of Carlos Adames, who was proudly introduced as the “WBC World Middleweight Champion.”

For most boxing promoters, that would be perfectly normal. For Zuffa, it represents another significant change in direction.

The First Zuffa U-Turn

White originally declared he had no interest in working with the WBA, WBC, IBF or WBO.

In February 2026, he reinforced that position, insisting he would do his own thing rather than conduct business with the sanctioning bodies.

Zuffa then crowned its first champion in March when Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton for the inaugural cruiserweight belt.

However, White subsequently softened his stance, confirming that Zuffa could work with established organizations on a case-by-case basis.

By August, Zuffa Boxing 10 in Dublin featured Aaron McKenna winning the vacant IBF middleweight title.

White’s original refusal had already become a compromise.

Now Zuffa Names the WBC

The second U-turn is even more interesting because WBN documented Zuffa’s reluctance to identify established world titles throughout August.

When Noel Mikaelian was announced as Opetaia’s opponent, Zuffa described the reigning WBC cruiserweight champion simply as a “two-time world champion.”

The promotion also avoided naming the IBF in McKenna’s title fight announcement, while Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn was promoted around a world championship without identifying the WBC.

The analysis was that Zuffa could gradually build recognition for its own championship by describing every titleholder simply as a world champion, without emphasizing which organization awarded the belt.

Now, just two months later, Zuffa is prominently displaying the WBC name alongside Adames.

When questioned about the change, White said it was not a matter of “having or not having a relationship” with the organization, before shifting his attention to Zuffa’s middleweight division.

That is a considerable departure from the original message.

The Business Model Changes

There are also signs that Zuffa’s wider business strategy is moving closer to conventional boxing promotion.

Zuffa has signed Adames and WBO middleweight champion Denzel Bentley, while allowing fighters to compete for traditional championships.

Those developments suggest a more flexible approach than the original vision of operating independently of boxing’s established organizations, although Zuffa has not abandoned its own championship structure.

White’s Next Move

White is entitled to change his approach, particularly if it helps Zuffa secure bigger fights and stronger signings.

However, the contrast with his original position is becoming increasingly stark.

First, Zuffa would not work with sanctioning bodies. Then it would consider them case by case. Now it is openly using the WBC name to promote a world champion.

The changes also put the value of Zuffa’s newly created belts under scrutiny compared with established world championships that have decades of history and recognition.

Nothing confirms that White intends to abandon his own championship system, but the repeated changes suggest his original hard-line approach has become increasingly difficult to maintain.

For a promotion that arrived promising to do things differently, Zuffa is beginning to look remarkably familiar.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Dana White quickly shut down rumors about Shakur Stevenson meeting Devin Haney on November 28 in Atlanta. Anyone expecting an immediate fight reveal took a hit after White addressed the situation following the Contender Series. When reporters pressed him on the proposed Thanksgiving weekend date, he gave them very little to work with.

“If it was, I would have announced it,” White stated.

He declined to offer negotiation details, nor did he float an alternate calendar slot. That curt statement keeps November 28 unverified. It does not kill the pairing entirely, but it proves the business side remains unresolved.

Social media bargaining created the illusion that promotional machinery was already rolling. Both boxers publicly settled on 145 pounds on X, leading casual observers to believe the hard part had passed. Settling on an informal weight limit in a comment section does not trigger an official press tour. Online back-and-forth gives followers plenty to debate, yet neither fighter has booked travel, hired sparring partners, or officially launched camp.

The real snag centers directly on purse demands. Ring insider Mike Coppinger pointed to the financial friction on social media, posting, “Money mostly but I believe it will get done.”

Optimism does not print tickets or satisfy broadcast partners. Bill Haney openly vented his irritation over the sudden silence from the Stevenson camp, posting, “Bro nem quiet as church mouse’s again…”

That frustration is easy to understand. Transparent negotiations inflate public expectations in a hurry. When one camp goes completely silent immediately after a public concession, momentum disappears. Talks look completely stalled from the outside, even if promoters continue working behind closed doors.

Nobody following the modern boxing business should feel surprised by this drag. Arguing online generates massive engagement metrics, yet back-and-forth posts cannot finalize multi-million-dollar agreements. Network commitments, venue guarantees, and revenue splits require formal paperwork that takes weeks to navigate.

White essentially yanked the conversation back to reality. Observers have a target weight, an opponent, a venue city. What everyone still lacks is a legally binding contract. Until both camps resolve guaranteed purses, this matchup exists strictly as an internet discussion rather than a genuine event.