Dana White says Zuffa will sign “everybody” with world-title potential

The Zuffa Boxing head says the promotion plans to recruit fighters with the potential to become world champions

Dana White says Zuffa Boxing plans to sign fighters with the potential to become world champions. The UFC president outlined the strategy during the promotion’s fourth boxing event.

White made the remark during his post-fight press conference following Sunday’s event, where Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton to become Zuffa Boxing’s first cruiserweight champion.

“I’m going to sign everybody that we think has the potential to be a world champion,” Dana said when asked about the kind of fighters Zuffa plans to recruit.

The comment reflects how Dana wants to build the roster. Instead of developing a large group of prospects, Zuffa appears willing to pursue established contenders and titleholders across several divisions. White mentioned specific fighters while describing the level of talent the company is targeting, pointing to lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk as examples of fighters he views as among the best in the sport.

Zuffa enters the market with financial backing tied to Saudi investment in major boxing events, which has already produced large purses for high-profile fights in recent years. That level of funding could allow the promotion to compete for fighters who normally operate under long-term agreements with other promoters.

The approach resembles the one White used when building the UFC, where the promotion gradually gathered many of the sport’s leading fighters under one promotional banner. Dana also suggested Zuffa could increase the number of events if the roster expands, noting that the company has staged four boxing cards so far and could eventually run a much larger schedule if more fighters are signed.

For now, White made his position clear. Zuffa intends to pursue fighters who have the ability to win world titles and build its roster around them.

The comment offered a clear signal of how Dana plans to build the promotion’s roster as Zuffa continues expanding its presence in boxing.