"We're building offices and a war room" - When Dana White told Laura Sanko back in 2019 about hoping to have Zuffa Boxing fully functional

UFC president Dana White and chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority Turki Alalshikh have broken the news that a new boxing promotion has been officially launched. The deal forms part of a multi-year Alalshikh-TKO Group Holdings partnership, the parent company that houses both UFC and WWE.

This collaboration intends to inject a new and structured approach to boxing, the same way UFC revolutionized mixed martial arts. Although not much information is on fighter signings, events, or broadcast partners, White has said there will soon be more announcements in the coming months.

Check out UFC's X post of the official announcement below:

White had previously expressed his interest in boxing with a promotion under Zuffa. In a 2019 interview with Laura Sanko, he allegedly mentioned having it running by October of that year and hoped to port the UFC's model of structure into boxing. Never came together as planned, but this recent announcement seems to mark an attempt at making his dream come to life again.

White said:

"I have hired a guy to come in and run the boxing side, actually over here on the other side of my office-construction is going on right now, we are building offices and war room and all the things that we are going to need for this thing to start running in October, so I am hoping to have Zuffa boxing fully functional and running by October."

Check out Dana White's comments in the video below:

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Dana White on UFC’s early struggles: How he saw opportunity in a banned sport

When MMA was outlawed in 36 states, and UFC was not doing great on the financial side, most people would see a failing business here. For Dana White, though, it was a missed opportunity. He saw top-level fighters who were not only tough but also intellectual athletes, and with the proper structure and regulation, he believed that the UFC could become a respectable global sport.

The UFC CEO's vision aligned perfectly with Lorenzo Fertitta’s regulatory expertise and business acumen. The two laid the groundwork for what would eventually grow into a billion-dollar brand by the UFC and the biggest name in martial arts.

In an interview with Forbes, White said:

"Me and the Fertitta brothers started doing Jiu-Jitsu together, and we fell in love with it. We became obsessed with it, training three to four days a week. Then we started meeting some of the UFC fighters and realized these guys were not only talented but also smart. It was an exciting sport, and we began thinking—what if we cleaned this up and turned it into a real, regulated sport?"

White added:

"We always loved fighting, and my philosophy has always been that fighting is in our DNA as human beings. No matter what color we are, where we come from, or what language we speak, we like fighting. One of the most fascinating things about it is when you see someone who looks like you, talks like you, and comes from where you come from being recognized as the baddest human being on Earth."

Check out Dana White's comments in the video below (3:57):