Ariel Helwani sets Dana White rivalry aside to support "brilliant" boxing league with Turki Alalshikh: "Set up to succeed"

Ariel Helwani recently set aside his long-standing rivalry with Dana White to praise the UFC CEO for the announcement of his new boxing league with Turki Alalshikh.

Earlier this month, White, Alalshikh, and WWE President Nick Khan made headlines around the world when they announced a new boxing promotion in a multi-year deal with the TKO group.

In the announcment of the news, they have promised to scour the globe in order to find the best talent to produce the most exciting cards in the history of the sport. Fighters who take the risk and sign for the new promotion have also been guaranteed a number of perks, including the use of the UFC's Performance Insititute and its rehabilitation center.

In a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, the host weighed in on the news, stating that he's excited about the future. According to Helwani, the promotion is almost guaranteed to succeed due to having the backing of Dana White, Turki Alalshikh, and Nick Khan.

He said:

"I understand what they're doing. It's going to take some time [but] there has never been, ever...a group that has come into combat sports with this power and this kind of money behind it. They have limitless funds. Those limitless funds are telling brilliant minds like Dana White, Nick Khan...'Here you go, run it for us.' There has never been a situation like this. If they don't succeed, it will be because of something internally...but they are set up to succeed off the jump. Netflix, ESPN right there for the taking."

Check out Helwani's comments here (42:20):

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Dana White shares his thoughts on the announcement of new boxing promotion

Dana White has never shone away from sharing his thoughts on the sport of boxing as a whole, regularly stating that he believes it is broken and in need of a shake-up.

That shake-up is now set to come in the form of a new boxing promotion, which will be headed up by White alongside Turki Alalshikh and Nick Khan. Following their blockbuster announcement earlier this month, the UFC CEO shared his thoughts on their plans for the future.

Speaking to the Ring Magazine on YouTube, White said:

"I'm excited, you know I wouldn't be where I'm today without boxing. The sport of boxing is where I started, I felt like it is something that could never be fixed until this guy showed up, he has done more for boxing than any promoter in the history of the sport combined. He has invested more money, more energy, and more passion into the sport than literally ever. There's zero speculation on the format, you know the format, everybody knows the format. The best fight the best. "

Catch Dana White's comments below (00:16):