After the record-breaking gate at UFC 328, Dana White is savoring the moment as Zuffa 06 unfolds at Meta APEX. Beaming with pride, he appears ready for a future filled with similar major events, even if that means going head-to-head with his competitors.
Already, alongside parent company TKO, White remains locked in a growing battle with boxing’s traditional power brokers over the proposed Ali Revival Act. And he has no intention of backing down. That stance became apparent at the Zuffa 06 post-fight press conference when he took aim at Oscar De La Hoya and English promoters, remarks many would associate with Eddie Hearn.
“I don’t know why I would say things that weren’t true; I mean, look at what we’ve done in just four months,” he told reporters while reflecting on the latest event. “Look at tonight. And look at how these guys are fighting right now. And tonight was a great card, and they’re only going to get better.”
White then explained that his long-term vision for Zuffa Boxing centers on developing fighters in-house, allowing rivalries and storylines to form naturally under one promotion.
Fighters begin calling each other out, fans become invested, and the promotion can then make big fights internally instead of relying on outside negotiations.
That vision, Dana White suggested, is also why resistance to the Ali Revival Act has become so intense.
Particularly because the bill applies only to fighters in the United States, criticism coming from English promoters clearly appeared to frustrate him.
“All the guys that are f**king bitching about it (Ali Revival Act) are English guys who don’t fall under the Ali Act,” White stated. “I find that very fascinating.”
White didn’t spare American promoters either, with Oscar De La Hoya quickly becoming another target.
Dana White targets Oscar De La Hoya and boxing critics
“Other than De La Hoya, him showing up at that thing was the greatest f**king thing that could have ever happened,” White added. “I hope he shows up at everything.”
“And I hope he brings the f**king WBC guy with him next time. That would have been f**king double good. So yeah, I like Oscar showing up to this kind of sh*t.”
Those comments came shortly after De La Hoya criticized the Senate hearing surrounding the proposed Ali Revival Act.
“My take on it today was very interesting,” he told a reporter shortly after the meeting in Washington D.C. “Interesting because it felt like there was already a decision made beforehand.”
A few days earlier, while appearing on the Thursday ClapBack show, De La Hoya also warned fighters considering Zuffa Boxing that “there might not be any money left” in their accounts after signing deals with the promotion.
Hearn echoed similar concerns, arguing that the Ali Act exists to protect fighters financially.
“Look, it’s (the Ali Act) designed to protect the fighters, and I think TKO/Zuffa Boxing are coming in because they want control and they want to basically organize and control the revenue for the fights and not really give it fairly to the fighters,” he told the media.
Hearn also pointed to the difference between the British and American boxing systems, saying he was surprised by how transparent U.S. boxing regulations were under the Muhammad Ali Act.
That context also weakens White’s criticism of English promoters like Hearn. Rather than opposing fighter protections, Hearn’s position appears rooted in support for a level of transparency he believes British boxing lacks.
And in practical terms, Matchroom Boxing has continued expanding aggressively in the United States. With major events already staged there and the marquee showdown between Xander Zayas and Boots Ennis scheduled for New York’s Barclays Center, White’s suggestion that Hearn is an outsider commenting on an American issue may not fully land.
