The owners of UFC and WWE are on the verge of creating a new boxing league financed by Saudi Arabia.
UFC president Dana White had previously hinted at the creation of Zuffa Boxing before Conor McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, but those plans never materialized.
However, TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the MMA organization, has revived these ambitious plans with Saudi investors last year and is close to announcing a potentially revolutionary league.
TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro stated, “Everyone is aware of our discussions with the Saudis, and to elaborate further.”
“I can confirm that we are nearing an agreement with Saudi Arabia to establish a boxing league where TKO will act as the producer, promoter, and oversee all daily operations of this venture.”
“For this, we would receive a fee of over $10 million. Importantly, we are not investing any funds, capital, or assuming any financial risks.”
“Furthermore, we would gain some equity over a five-year period, contingent on achieving specific milestones, including surpassing board-approved annual budgets within those five years.”
The format of the proposed league is not yet clear, but Shapiro revealed that TKO will organize “four large-scale super-fights” throughout 2025 and 2026.
He explained, “I believe I’ve provided a basic outline of the agreement. It’s a separate league, and we will have consistent fights throughout the year.”
“In addition to that, as part of the partnership, we would be the promoter, producer, and event operator for four major super-fights, as I call them, with two likely this year and two in 2026.”
“These super-fights may or may not be part of the boxing league itself, they could be standalone events, but we would be compensated for acting as the promoter, producer, and event operator.”
According to Shapiro, the groundbreaking deal could be finalized very soon.
Shapiro disclosed, “We recently sent a delegation to London to meet with the Saudi delegation, led by our CFO Andrew Schleimer, and WWE’s Nick Khan, and UFC’s Lawrence Epstein.”
“They had a full-day meeting earlier this week, and we are very close to finalizing things. We will make an official announcement when we have definitive news.”
The significant financial resources of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority have transformed the boxing scene in recent years, enabling the realization of previously unimaginable fights.
Shapiro believes that TKO’s promotional capabilities can further revolutionize the sport.
He said, “There is an audience for boxing, but it’s currently lacking a prominent national platform.”
“There is a desire to bring it back to the forefront of the American sports landscape.”
“It has been fractured and poorly managed for too long, and we believe we can make significant improvements.”
