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Andreas Hale
Zuffa Boxing will formally launch with its inaugural event on Friday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas with undefeated Callum Walsh headlining against former title contender Carlos Ocampo in a middleweight bout.
It’s been a long time coming for UFC CEO Dana White, who teased the launch of a boxing promotion nearly a decade ago following the high-profile boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in August 2017. He was out to fix what he called a “broken” system. The launch was repeatedly delayed until last year when White announced that the UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, would enter the boxing industry under the name Zuffa Boxing in partnership with Sela Sport, with the backing of Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of Zuffa Boxing’s debut event, this guide will give answers to lingering questions regarding the promotion and its intentions.
What is Zuffa Boxing and which fighters have they signed?
Zuffa Boxing is a promotion founded by White and Alalshikh. The company is a joint venture between Sela Sport, a Saudi Arabian entertainment and hospitality company owned by the Public Investment Fund, and TKO Group Holdings. In June 2025, White officially announced that he would apply the UFC’s promotional model to his new promotion, Zuffa Boxing.
Zuffa Boxing will have its own world titles and use The Ring Magazine’s ranking system to determine top contenders.
The promotion secured a media rights deal in September with Paramount Skydance to stream events on Paramount+ and simulcast select events on CBS.
The promotion has reportedly signed Irish super middleweight prospect Callum Walsh, former WBA junior welterweight champion Jose Valenzuela, middleweight prospect Vito Mielnicki, welterweight Radzhab Butaev, heavyweight Efe Ajagba and junior middleweight Serhii Bohachuk. The biggest name signed to the promotion to date is IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.
When and where will Zuffa Boxing events happen?
Zuffa Boxing events for the foreseeable future will take place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The inaugural event takes place on Friday, the day before UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. In addition to Walsh vs. Ocampo, the card includes Misael Rodriguez vs. Austin Deanda in a middleweight co-main event and Julian Rodriguez will face Cain Sandoval in the main card opener.
The second event is planned for Feb. 1 with Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela taking on Diego Torres at a catchweight in the main event. A Feb. 14 show will reportedly feature a fight between heavyweight slugger Efe Ajagba and former IBF champion Charles Martin.
Are the rules the same as regular boxing?
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Jeffrey Mullen told ESPN on Thursday that “all rules will be the same.”
Currently, men’s boxing has three-minute rounds with three judges using a 10-point must system to decide the outcome if the fight goes the distance.
Championship fights are 12 rounds, while non-title fights can be 4, 6, 8 or 10 rounds. Boxing glove sizes are typically 8 oz or 10 oz, depending on the weight class with lighter weight classes up to 140 pounds using 8-ounce gloves and heavyweight weight classes opting for 10-ounce gloves. White has teased changes to the boxing ring but has yet to reveal what those changes may be.
Will the fighters compete for the traditional boxing titles (WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA)? How will the fighters be ranked?
White has routinely stated that he dislikes the current boxing governing bodies and has plans to keep things self-contained in Zuffa Boxing, much like the UFC.
“I’ve been talking smack about boxing for a long time, and now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is, White said in a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith in January. “I’m gonna get rid of the sanctioning organizations. The best will fight the best. We’re going to sign all the young, up-and-coming guys.
“If you break into the top 10 and you’re still undefeated, your undefeated record means something. Everybody’s undefeated in boxing, because nobody fights anybody.”
By using the same business model as the UFC, Zuffa Boxing has plans to crown its own world champions. The only ranking system it will recognize is from The Ring Magazine, owned by Alalshikh.
The recent signing of Opetaia has complicated that plan. In a video announcing his signing with Zuffa Boxing, Opetaia suggested that he would pursue the opportunity to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion.
Opetaia’s manager, Mick Francis, said that unification bouts will be a priority for his fighter and Zuffa Boxing has agreed to allow him pursue that opportunity.
“One of the concerns was [Zuffa Boxing] didn’t recognize the sanctioning bodies,” Francis said in an interview with Boxing King Media. “However, probably to sweeten the deal and get Jai across the line is that they will let Jai fight for the titles and unify the division, which is exactly what he wants to do.”
White confirmed Wednesday that Zuffa Boxing will help Opetaia with his goal of becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion.
“It’s all a work in progress,” White said at a Zuffa Boxing news conference about having to work with other sanctioning bodies on behalf of Opetaia. “These guys all come from somewhere and had dreams from when they first put on a pair of gloves. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that these guys can do what they wanted to do.”
Are events sanctioned by state athletic commissions? Will there be drug testing?
The Nevada State Athletic Commission currently oversees all combat sports events in the state, but it has yet to be revealed how drug testing will be implemented for Zuffa Boxing. The NSAC and Zuffa Boxing did not respond when asked by ESPN on Wednesday about drug testing.
The UFC moved on from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in late 2023 to create its own drug testing program, the UFC Anti-Doping Program.
How does the proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act affect Zuffa Boxing?
In April 2025, TKO Group asked for amendment changes to the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 before formally announcing the launch of Zuffa Boxing. The bill was introduced in July and called the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act (H.R. 4624). The piece of legislation would allow the creation of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs) as an alternative to the sanctioning bodies that currently oversee boxing. This would allow Zuffa Boxing to operate outside of the current sanctioning bodies, establish its own world title and ranking system.
Representatives from Zuffa Boxing have maintained to ESPN that H.R. 4624 won’t change any of the language in the current Muhammad Ali Act. Instead, it would implement and enhance the current act, which representatives suggest would provide more opportunities for boxers. H.R. 4624 passed the House Committee on Education and Workforce by a vote of 30-4 on Jan. 21. It must now be approved by both branches of Congress to be enacted.
With UFC under the same parent company, will MMA fighters crossover to the boxing ring?
White has not budged on his stance when asked this question by the media over the past few months.
“I didn’t want that when I wasn’t involved in boxing and I definitely don’t want it now,” White said at Wednesday’s news conference.