Watch: ‘Am I out of my f*cking mind?’ — Dana White talks boxing venture

Dana White, boxing promoter.

For years, the figure who has made an indelible mark in the world of combat sports throughout his career in mixed martial arts has teased a crossover switch to boxing but has, for a variety of reasons, resisted pulling the trigger. Until now, that is.

This past weekend in Dublin, Ireland, White’s first real association with boxing had its first event in the 3Arena where the unbeaten Cork fighter Callum Walsh scored a second round knockout of Przemyslaw Runowski on a fight promoted by White collaborator Tom Loefller and broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.

And speaking to the media, including The Mac Life, in Las Vegas on Tuesday, White said that there will be a lot more to come as he ramps up his boxing portfolio.



“I did my first fight in Ireland and we’ll start announcing stuff here, beginning of 2025,” White said.

“Every time I get on the phone with these guys I go, ‘Am I out of my f*cking mind?’ But I think that obviously now is the time or I would have done it then,” he added. “I was kicking around… I was even talking about Anthony Joshua at one time and stuff like that. I’m glad that I pumped the brakes and we waited. Everything is about timing. Is now the time? We’re going to find out.”

White’s move into boxing coincides with a bountiful era for the sport, much of which has been galvanised by the series of big-money fights taking place in Saudi Arabia funding by the state’s General Entertainment Authority.

“There’s a million reasons why now is [the time],” White explained. “If you notice, as far as boxing goes, even as much money as Sheik Turki is throwing into this thing, television deals aren’t really abundant right now. There’s just a lot of things that I think I can do that other people haven’t done yet.”

As for how a Dana White-led boxing promotion might look, White said this will become clear once the operation moves into its next phase.

“I have a plan. I’m going to implement that plan and we’ll see how it works,” White said. “We’ll see how this thing works. People have been talking about the demise of boxing for 30 years and we’re still here talking about boxing right now. I have always had an idea of how I thought it should be done. I don’t know if that’s possible but we’re going to find out. I’m coming in guns blazing.”