TKO Boxing has arrived and it comes at a danger to the UFC. Headed up by UFC President Dana White, TKO Boxing will kick off with an enormous combat from Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on September twelfth. Taking to the ring would be the legendary Canelo Alvarez, taking over the undefeated Terence Crawford for the undisputed tremendous middleweight title.
This marks an enormous shift from TKO Boxing because it signifies that they imply enterprise. We knew it was coming, however we possibly didn’t count on an occasion this huge to kick issues off. As per The Ring Journal‘s web site:
‘Alalshikh and White unveiled plans for TKO’s boxing enterprise final month in New York. TKO was shaped when WWE and UFC joined forces to type a publicly traded firm. Nick Khan, the president of WWE, was a driving pressure in boxing for years.’
Will White taking over promotional duties for TKO Boxing result in the demise of the UFC, as we all know it? We check out the affect that it might have.
Will TKO Boxing be the Demise of the UFC?
One man can solely achieve this many roles. UFC president, TKO Boxing head promoter, PowerSlap founder, board member of Meta Platforms and more and more related political determine to call however a couple of, Dana White is unfold extraordinarily skinny. We’ve more and more seen a discount of him at UFC occasions, regardless of being the person who introduced the UFC to the mainstream. He seems to be placing extra emphasis on PowerSlap than the UFC, the factor that bought him to the dance.
On high of that, if one President Donald Trump requests you to be someplace, White inevitably must be there, pulling him from prior commitments.
We all know that the UFC is struggling. Megastars are sparse. Gone are the times of Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey and common Jon Jones fights. The world of the UFC is altering and White recognises this. There doesn’t seem like any long-term megastars on the horizon, both. What number of present stars are having followers demand a predominant occasion of their house nation like McGregor on his rise?
Everyone knows boxing makes much more cash than the UFC. Canelo earned a reported $80 million this weekend towards William Scull. As compared, Cory Sandhagen, this weekend’s UFC headliner, was reported to have made $311,000. Sure, we’re speaking about Canelo, arguably the game’s greatest star; nonetheless, the disparity is stunning.
Would White step away in favour of the a lot larger paydays with TKO Boxing?
What might the UFC seem like with out White?
Dana White has been a stalwart of the UFC since 2001. Everybody on the earth of fight sports activities is aware of White and lots of casuals can choose him out as the principle man of the UFC. With that being stated, increasingly usually we see him lacking from occasions. The smaller combat night time reveals and a few Apex playing cards have a definite lack of White’s presence. We see Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby as prevalent when White isn’t round. With TKO Boxing kicking off in a giant method, White’s face at UFC occasions is prone to lower.
However who might take over? It might definitely be Maynard or Shelby, however a extra probably candidate is UFC Chief Enterprise Officer and Government Vice President, Hunter Campbell. A person who beforehand caught to the shadows, Campbell has been influential in making big fights in recent times. Ariel Helwani as soon as described Campbell because the third most influential individual within the enterprise.
It’s understood that Campbell is accountable for virtually each combat deal and is commonly threatening to strip UFC championship titles ought to the holder not defend their belt, one thing that will recover from with followers in a large method *Cough Jon Jones cough*.
Massive names within the sport, comparable to Daniel Cormier, argue that Campbell is the proper man for the job. He acknowledged: ‘He performs such an necessary function’ when discussing Campbell earlier this yr. To have the backing of such an influential determine within the UFC is definitely useful.
Will White’s work with TKO Boxing slowly take him away from the UFC altogether? With no White heading up the UFC, it might have an enormous, adverse affect. TKO boxing will change into extra prevalent and the UFC will take a again seat.
White’s enterprise into the world of boxing via TKO Boxing might kick off the decline of the UFC. Being the chief promoter of the UFC isn’t a component time job, however White might deal with it like one…
