Mike Tyson's former boxing coach lauds Dana White UFC formula as "simple but genius", gets brutally honest about new TKO boxing league

UFC CEO Dana White received praise from Mike Tyson’s former coach, Teddy Atlas, for his strategy in growing the UFC into the global promotion it is today.

Last week, TKO Group Holdings (parent company of UFC and WWE) announced the formation of a new boxing league in partnership with Turki Alalshikh and Sela. This announcement has created a buzz on the internet, with the MMA community sharing their excitement for the league.

In his recent YouTube video, Teddy Atlas weighed in on Alalshikh joining hands with the UFC head honcho. The boxing coach praised White for his simple yet effective strategies to grow combat sports, stating:

"I think the template that was put in place by Dana White and the Fertitta brothers who originally bought UFC… Matter of fact, I remember when they first started UFC, they actually came to me to ask my thoughts about how to make this sport more exciting… You got to get up, you got to take a shot, you got to strike. So they didn’t do it, but it did gravitate, it did move more towards striking and standing on its own. It moved that way. Here's my take. That template for the sport worked for Dana White. It made that brand into a billion-dollar brand… his business judgment to build that brand was simple but genius."

Furthermore, Atlas pointed out that Alalshikh unknowingly used the same formula as White to revive boxing. However, to grow boxing even further, Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority chairman may have thought that, with the UFC CEO, they could take boxing to new heights, stating:

“The formula that Turki Alalshikh used—yeah, he had the Saudi money, yes, but he also had the passion, the love for the sport to use that money. He used the money to build the sport in the way that he wanted to build the sport. And he used a formula—you know what formula he used? Before he even knew he was using it, or maybe he did know he was using it—he was using Dana White’s formula to put the best fights on. It’s that simple. He saw what Dana White built with the UFC. He saw the results of what that brand became, and he saw how he did it. And he figured, why not team up with a guy who's done it.”

Check out Teddy Atlas’ comments below (2:36):

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Dana White reveals the vision of the new boxing league

Speaking with Ring Magazine following the announcement of the new league, Dana White was asked about his vision and the format of the league. White asserted that it will be similar to the UFC, where the best fight the best to move up in the rankings. The UFC CEO said:

“Everybody knows the format. The best fight the best, and you work your way up the rankings. Once somebody breaks into the top five, there is no question who the best five guys in the world are in each weight class. They fight it out, and once somebody holds that belt."

Check out Dana White’s comments below: