“We’ve already done seven fights since we launched,” said Dana to iFL TV. “We’ve been signing lots of great talent, putting on great fights with great matchmaking, fights that matter with young, talented people, and we’re already in over 90 countries worldwide on television.
“So, in a very short amount of time, we’ve made a very big impact on the sport.”
The UFC president suggested the growth has exceeded even his own expectations.
“This thing’s growing much faster than I had anticipated. No, no, multiple. And I’m already trying to get more dates from Paramount for this year. I think that from now until January 1st, yeah, you’re going to see a lot of signing,” said Dana.
“I said a hundred times, at the end of this year, judge us on the body of work that we have done in one year.”
White also outlined a long-term goal that would represent a major change from boxing’s traditional business model.
“When we start out, when you think about boxing traditionally, even here in the US, you would have them fight in Las Vegas or Atlantic City because that’s where all the money was with the casinos, or you would have to go to somebody’s hometown where you knew they could sell tickets.
“Now we’ve gotten to a point with the UFC where I can put on a fight in Arizona with a Brazilian versus an Australian, and we’ll sell out. So my long-term goal for boxing is to make that happen.”
The comments offer one of White’s clearest updates yet on the pace of Zuffa Boxing’s expansion. The ambition is obvious. Whether boxing can be rebuilt into a UFC-style model is a much tougher question.
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