UFC veteran warns Dana White’s boxing league may come at a cost for fighters

Of all the MMA news in 2025, Dana White partnering with Turki Alalshikh to announce TKO Boxing was some of the most jarring.

Boxing as an institution has trundled on for decades without much interruption, and the introduction of a new player in the space, backed by bottomless pockets from Saudi Arabian investors, is an intimidating prospect, especially considering how Saudi has familiarized itself with the product by pairing with popular promotions during its Riyadh Season series of events.

Some UFC veterans see White's involvement as a net positive for fans and a negative for the fighters...

MMA has the better formula, but it's not better for the fighters, says MMA veteran Brad Pickett

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport on behalf of MMA Knockout, former UFC star Brad Pickett gave a level-headed evaluation of what TKO Boxing could look like for both fans and fighters.

"[MMA and UFC] is a much better formula than boxing in two different ways," Pickett said. "It's good for promoters, not the best for fighters. For the fighters, the issue is the sport is monopolized. There’s not really anywhere else you can go if you want to earn money, but that's not UFC's fault in any way - they are just the best, and if you want to be the best, you go to the best, right?"

Pickett: UFC tops boxing for putting on the fights fans want to see

Pickett highlighted the stalling of big fights in boxing as a core flaw. Some fights come to mind, including Riddick Bowe vs. Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, and Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao - the latter of which happened far too late.

"[...] Who's the best in the world [in boxing]? You never know, boxing is so confusing now [with all its belts]. But obviously, that makes it really good for the fighters because the promoters bid for the fighters.

"There are so many champions in boxing. For me, a perfect example is Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather. That fight should have happened years before it did. . . . That could have been the biggest fight in boxing history, but it never happened because of various reasons.

"[...] In my eyes, UFC is good in some ways because if you want to watch the best fighters in the world fight, you watch the UFC. . . . [There are good fighters and champions outside the UFC] But ask any of those other champions from any other organisation if they'd want to go to UFC and fight for the belt—they'd say 'yes, please'."

Dana White awarding the UFC flyweight championship to Alexandre Pantoja | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Pickett: TKO boxing will be good for consumer, bad for individual fighters

Pickett believes the best fighting the best is great for the viewer, but puts fighters in a disadvantaged position. The UFC already had to contend with an anti-trust lawsuit for monopolizing MMA, and would have to avoid making the same mistakes in boxing.

"[...] It's tough for the fighters because the UFC has all the cards," Pickett continued. "And if they do that in boxing, it’s going to be great for the commercial side, and the viewers because they can see fights they want to see, but It'll be bad for the individual fighters because they won't have as much power as they do now."

One such worry is TKO Boxing challenging the Ali Act, a federal law that protects fighters from exploitation, whether from promoters, promotions, or managers.

CEO Dana White plans to have one or two events in 2025, before fully rolling forward as planned in 2026, only then will fans and experts be privy to the full scale of Saudi-backed TKO boxing.

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