Mark Shapiro announced during an investors conference on Monday that Zuffa Boxing would start on January 23rd. The show will air one day before the UFC’s first event on Paramount January 24th.
Shapiro did not provide any further information on the boxing event. UFC 324 has been announced to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The much-heralded boxing promotion is set to be a disrupter in the industry as TKO is lobbying Congress to pass an updated version of the Ali Act which would benefit the boxing promotion. The introduction of a Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) would allow for a company to circumvent the traditional sanctioning bodies but becoming both sanctioning body and promoter. This is a conflict of interest that the current Ali Act prohibits. There are several other issues pointed out by Pat English in his testimony before a Congressional subcommittee.
According to one of the bill’s sponsors, it is likely to pass and signed by the president.
Payout Perspective:
While one may view some of the aspects of the new law to benefit fighters, there are serious ills to the bill which would create the same issue MMA has had with Zuffa which has led to several antitrust lawsuits against the company. Most concerning in my opinion, is the ability for the UBO to provide contracts that are one-sided and in favor of the company. But, with the extreme push for the bill to go through and Zuffa Boxing starting in 2026, it is seemingly a foregone conclusion.
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