Frank Warren Set to Battle Sela and TKO Group in $1 Billion Legal Battle

Frank Warren is ready to go to war.

The Telegraph reported this week that Warren has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Sela and TKO Group Holdings for breach of contract due to the launch of Zuffa Boxing.

Queensberry has claimed they entered into an exclusive contract with Sela in September 2023, ahead of the heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury, offering their boxing expertise as the Saudi Arabian sports company looked to break into the world of boxing.

The British promotion has also stated that it entered into an exclusive contract with WWE and UFC parent company TKO Group for access to their online data.

The formation of Zuffa Boxing, headlined by Dana White and Turki Alalshikh in March 2025, is said to have bypassed the original partnership by using privileged information to go behind their back, stripping them of up to $1 billion in expected income.

Sela reject all claims entirely

Sela's spokesperson has responded to the lawsuit filed by Warren, claiming they are disappointed by Frank Warren's claim and reject it entirely.

“We are disappointed by the unfounded claims brought by Queensberry and Frank Warren. We reject them in their entirety and are confident that the facts will fully vindicate our position.”

The legal battle may be a huge setback to Dana White and Turki Alalshikh's plan of taking over the sport, and a warning sent by Warren to show he is not going down without a fight.

Zuffa's plan to take over the sport

The new arrival of Zuffa definitely rustled a few feathers in the boxing world, with fighters being plucked from rival promoters and plans being launched to scrap traditional boxing belts for a brand new Zuffa championship belt.

Dana White has restated that his arrival into the boxing world has been literally like "beating up babies."

The new arrival of Conor Benn hasn't been the only major signing by White, as previous Matchroom fighter Jai Opetaia is also set to fight for the new Cruiserweight Zuffa championship belt vs Brendan Glanton on March 8.

After unveiling the new belt on his social media last Thursday, Turki Al Sheikh heaped nothing but praise on his company.

Today I am happy, I met with my brothers Dana and Nick in Las Vegas and they gifted me the first Zuffa Boxing belt - made with beautiful diamonds. This is a huge start for Zuffa, and only the very best will be lucky enough to win this belt. 💪🏻🥊🔥🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/yUpVUl222S
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) February 19, 2026

"Today I am happy, I met with my brothers Dana and Nick in Las Vegas and they gifted me the first Zuffa Boxing belt - made with beautiful diamonds. This is a huge start for Zuffa, and only the very best will be lucky enough to win this belt."