It hasn’t even been a week since Turki Alalshikh and Dana White announced their big move into boxing, but MMA analysts are already working overtime to hype it up. The latest to throw his hat in the ring? None other than former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.
Never one to shy away from a hot take, Sonnen recently claimed that White’s true passion was never MMA—it was boxing all along. UFC CEO Dana White has, time and again, claimed that he hasn’t been happy with the state of boxing for some time now.
This has been attributed to the fact that White initially wanted to be a boxer and even dabbled in the pugilistic arts.
But fate had other plans, of course. Now, he joins UFC’s parent company, TKO, and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to monopolize the sport under one central authority. The move, of course, has been widely discussed, with some calling it suspicious while a majority claps in unison.
Sonnen is in the latter camp. Talking to his co-host and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier on an episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy, the veteran mixed martial artist pointed out that he was happy to see White at the helm of this enterprise.
He said, “I am pumped dude, I gotta tell you I am really pumped. You must understand Dana White as a human being who was a little boy at one time he didn’t have a goal and dream of getting into MMA it was boxing.”.
Explaining his former boss’ ambitions, Sonnen added, “This is the thing that he wants to do. This is the thing he has hinted about. This is the thing he has talked about. This is the one that he wanted but he needed the right partner. He took his time and I think he found the right partner.”
Now, normally, that would be exciting news, but the UFC bossman getting into the world of boxing is not all rosy.
There are more than a few issues that worry both boxing analysts as well as fans, given how White runs the ship at the UFC.
White to UFC-ify boxing?
Since TKO and Alalshik’s announcement, pundits are raising eyebrows over White‘s venture into the sport, primarily due to concerns about fighter pay.
The UFC has long been criticized for allocating a relatively small percentage of its revenue to fighters—estimates suggest between 16% and 22%—which is significantly lower than other major sports organizations.
For reference, according to a 2024 report, boxing, on average, shares 62.5 percent of revenue with the athletes, a reflection of its decentralized business model.
This disparity has led to fears that under White’s leadership, the sport might adopt similar practices, potentially sidelining fighters’ financial interests.
Moreover, discussions around the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, designed to protect boxers from exploitative contracts, have resurfaced courtesy of TKO CEO Ari Emmanuel’s remarks.
Some worry that the monopolistic direction in which this sport could head would undermine these protections, especially in light of White’s history of opposing their expansion to mixed martial arts.
As boxing enters this new chapter, the community remains vigilant, hoping that the sport’s integrity and fighters’ welfare aren’t compromised.
