Top Rank exec believes ‘hypocritical’ Dana White is inspiring UFC fighter mutiny: ‘The genie’s out of the bottle’


Although Top Rank has not promoted a single show in the United States since losing its ESPN deal this past July, the company and its founder, Bob Arum, have remained central targets of Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing press conference rants.

White has launched a war of words against boxing’s old guard, claiming that he’s “beating up babies” and that the establishment has already allowed him to take over the sport.

Advertisement

Central to Zuffa Boxing’s longterm plan is leveraging its political influence to pass the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, a vital piece of legislation that would allow Zuffa to run like another TKO property, the UFC. White’s push to change the existing Ali Act has ruffled the feathers of many in boxing — and Top Rank President Todd duBoef is no exception.

“I mean, so ridiculous,” duBoef told Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” of TKO’s plans. “Why? I think it’s so hypocritical, and it’s really the fundamentals. Let’s talk about — UFC was created by Nevada Boxing Commission regulators, right? Lorenzo Fertitta bought it. He was a Nevada [regulator]. … Didn’t create it, [but made it into] the current version [of the UFC], right? … They all brought in Mark Ratner. They brought in Kirk Kendrick, right? They brought in Michael Mersch. They brought in a lot [of people].

“They saw the problems that existed in how boxing got regulated and [they] created a business model [with the UFC] so they didn’t have to succumb to that. All they did was tell us how bad we were and how bad boxing was, and Bob Arum is this and Bob Arum is that and f*** boxing and it’s an old man sport. Now they want to come in … and they say, ‘We want to play. We want to play, but we want to change the rules for us and nobody else.’ I saw Dana call somebody a p****. That seems like a f***ing p**** [move].

Advertisement

“What do you mean you want to change the rules for you that only apply to you and nobody else?” duBoef continued. “I don’t get that. I really don’t understand it. And I think that if you want to get into the sport, great. Come into the sport, right? Come into what it’s [like now], it’s current [state], what we’re all operating in. It would be like I want to trade stocks in the SEC, but I want to do it a separate way — I want to be able to front-run somebody, right? Or get inside information. It doesn’t make sense.

“But they’re very powerful. They’re very well-connected. They have a great product in UFC and in WWE. They’re great at it. I think I understand their strategy — they want to build out a boxing vertical. I can’t figure out which path they’re choosing on this one. I heard it was a league, I heard it wasn’t a league. I don’t know. I think they’re in the air on where they’re going.”

Should the Ali Revival Act pass, which it is likely to do so, it would pave the way for White to create a Unified Boxing Organization, where fighters would fight for a Zuffa belt and enter the UBO’s rankings. The move would allow White to own both the events and the championships, giving him a level of control no promoter in traditional boxing has.

The bill would also remove the Ali Act’s transparency requirements, which give upper-echelon fighters on a card the right to know the financial elements of the event they are fighting in and what percentage they ultimately receive. No such law exists in MMA, and thus UFC fighters are left with as little as 20% of event revenue, compared to up to 80% the talent in boxing can receive.

Advertisement

As duBoef pointed out, Zuffa Boxing’s plans, at the moment, appear to be all over the place. Despite entering boxing by saying it would not recognize boxing’s sanctioning bodies, White threatened to sue the IBF at a recent press conference after it withdrew sanction of Jai Opetaia’s title defense against Brandon Glanton at Zuffa Boxing 4.

“Every time I walk into a kid’s room and he’s 17 years old or 18 years old and I meet the family, they all want to be a world champion,” duBoef said. “They want to be a world champion. They want to wear the [WBC] green belt. They want the WBA belt. They want the IBF belt. That’s what I see.”

Rival promoter Eddie Hearn has been a vocal supporter of boxing’s traditional four-title system in recent months, claiming it is every fighter’s dream to win those belts and that Zuffa belts would not carry the same prestige. duBoef sides with Hearn on this topic — and also, as it amounts to UFC fighter pay.

“I think they’ve got to be careful,” duBoef warned TKO. “I haven’t seen this much just vocal rage by the MMA athletes [that I’m seeing] today against UFC than in [the past] 30 years. I’ve never seen this. The genie’s out of the bottle. They played a game with this Conor Benn thing — I don’t know what the purpose of that game was — and then they kind of tried to wipe their hands of it, but that domino fell.

Advertisement

“And I’ve never seen anything like this, where these athletes who were so scared to say anything — this is like the old Iron Curtain, where people don’t say anything. Now these kids are just all voicing their opinions. And that’s the domino I’m not sure they thought was going to fall.”



Source link

  • Related Posts

    LeBron James’ 6 dunks vs. Rockets key Lakers’ 7th straight win

    Tim MacMahonMar 19, 2026, 03:13 AM ET Close Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Multiple Authors HOUSTON…

    NZ vs SA – 2nd T20I – Mulder in as SA bowl – Clarkson, Ferguson in for NZ

    South Africa opt to bowl vs New Zealand On a wicket Jess Kerr described as a “belter” after New Zealand women lost to South Africa by 18 runs, South Africa’s…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    3 Expensive-Looking Zara Outfits for Spring 2026

    3 Expensive-Looking Zara Outfits for Spring 2026

    Alberta bill would limit medically assisted dying to patients facing ‘reasonably foreseeable’ death

    Alberta bill would limit medically assisted dying to patients facing ‘reasonably foreseeable’ death

    Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for March 19 #542

    Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for March 19 #542

    I made s’mores from cats and dogs in Lucid Blocks, a version of Minecraft held together by dream logic

    I made s’mores from cats and dogs in Lucid Blocks, a version of Minecraft held together by dream logic

    5 Airlines With The World’s Best Economy Seats For Long-Haul Flights

    5 Airlines With The World’s Best Economy Seats For Long-Haul Flights

    UK wage growth slows sharply as unemployment holds steady | Economics

    UK wage growth slows sharply as unemployment holds steady | Economics