How Zuffa Boxing Plans to Take Over the Sport

From promoter rivalries to the shocking acquisition of big-name fighters, Zuffa Boxing's entry into the combat sports business has been anything but quiet. This Saturday, the company will host its inaugural UK show, headlined by British fighter Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth, aiming to make its mark on this side of the Atlantic for the first time.

Founded by UFC President Dana White and backed by Saudi funding, the new venture seeks to compete with established promoters across the globe. White is primarily known for his role in mixed martial arts but has decided to expand his influence into other sports.

Zuffa Boxing made its first major move in February, signing welterweight Conor Benn in a dramatic transfer from Eddie Hearn's Matchroom company. Since then, the promotion has continued to sign British fighters, with several notable additions in the cruiserweight division.

This Saturday night, four of their new cruiserweight fighters will be in action—Billam-Smith will face Ryan Rozicki, while Jack Massey takes on Cheavon Clarke. Former IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia, who also switched from Matchroom to Zuffa Boxing, is rumored to fight the winner of Saturday's main event.

How is Zuffa doing things differently?

One way White has promised to change elements of the sport involves how the company interacts with sanctioning bodies regarding traditional belts. For now, the promotion recognizes eight weight classes, with one Zuffa champion in each.

White previously stated he would not use the traditional WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, which led to some controversy. Opetaia was stripped of his IBF title in March after defeating Brandon Glanton to become Zuffa Boxing's first champion.

White has expressed his hope to amend the "Muhammad Ali Act"—a 2000 US law designed to protect boxers' rights and combat potential monopolies. Changes to this law could allow him to recognize a Zuffa belt as a legitimate world championship title and eliminate the need to work with other sanctioning bodies.

WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia stated in May that he expects to fight Benn in September, though an official announcement is still pending. However, White's involvement in boxing events hasn't always prevented traditional belts from being on the line.

The American co-promoted the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight last year, which saw all four super-middleweight world titles contested under the Ring Magazine brand. Zuffa Boxing's first fight week in the UK has offered a glimpse into how the company might operate differently.

Wednesday's press conference was far more understated than what is typically seen at traditional British shows. British promotions like Matchroom, Queensberry, and Boxxer usually live-stream a press conference with all their fighters, including a Q&A session early in the week to preview the fight night.

Zuffa Boxing organized fighter arrivals at the venue, where they spoke with individual media outlets in designated time slots before returning to their hotels for the rest of the day. Friday's ceremonial weigh-in is the only pre-fight event that will be live-streamed, featuring other celebrities and athletes for a Q&A session.

Billam-Smith believes Zuffa Boxing has gone above and beyond to ensure fighters are well-cared for in the week leading up to Saturday's fight night.

"With Zuffa, I've felt truly valued," he told BBC Sport. "The way they run things during fight week is phenomenal. They have therapists and nutritionists on-site, and it's been a real eye-opener for my team. This is how it should be—the fighter comes first, and it genuinely feels that way. It's a massive organization, and I think all the fighters here this week will feel truly valued and excited to be part of such a great structure."

Outside the ring, there has been considerable back-and-forth between White and Matchroom's Hearn since Zuffa Boxing hosted its first gala in January. Heated online exchanges even led to the two jokingly suggesting a fight between themselves in separate interviews. The online rivalry has also spilled over into business moves within their respective sports.

After White lured Benn and Opetaia from Hearn's stable, the Brit responded by signing UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to his newly formed talent agency. Hearn even recently called on White to release Aspinall from his UFC contract, claiming the heavyweight champion wasn't being paid what he's worth.

Billam-Smith was previously part of Hearn's camp but moved to Boxxer and finally realized his dream of fighting in Bournemouth for the first time in 2022. He competed three more times in his hometown and won the WBO world title at Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium in 2023.

"Eddie never saw the vision of fighting here, and that's exactly what we always wanted to do. Dana is now making it happen on the back of previous shows," Billam-Smith said.

Many over the years have tried to compete with Frank Warren and Hearn, but very few have achieved the same long-term success. However, White has a history of entering a sport and coming out on top—developing the UFC from a virtually unknown organization into a market leader that surpassed and eventually acquired rival promotions Strikeforce and Pride.

Saturday is Zuffa Boxing's moment to plant its flag on British soil as White aims to establish the promotion as a major player in British boxing.

Commentary by Dan George for bbc.com