Dana White is opening the door for Zuffa Boxing athletes to have more input on what they wear in the ring, addressing one of the more common complaints since the UFC’s boxing venture launched.
Speaking on Cigar Talk podcast, White was asked directly about the promotion’s approach to boxer gear.
“What’s the deal with the shorts, Dana? People get mad at the shorts,” Naji asked, noting that some boxers have not been able to wear their own trunks under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
White acknowledged the tension but said the policy is still evolving.
“So, you know, that whole thing is sort of a work in progress. Like a lot of the guys like to wear the stuff and some want to do their own things,” White said. “This whole thing from, you know, what they wear to, you know, certain belts that they’ve dreamt of competing for, or we’re trying to work with guys on that, you know, because a lot of these kids grew up with this vision and this dream to do something, and we try to make that happen if we can.”
White also confirmed that Zuffa Boxing is willing to work alongside existing sanctioning bodies rather than shut athletes out of chasing traditional championships. When Naji asked if that meant Zuffa was open to collaborating with organizations like the WBC, White pointed to this weekend’s Paramount Plus card as an example.
“I mean, this weekend, WBC,” White said. “So, yeah, we’re trying to work with these guys. Listen, any of these guys that want to play nice, we’re not going to be told what to do. That’s not going to happen. But if you want to work with us for the good of everybody, then we’re interested.”
One of the clearest examples of this tension came from Shakur Stevenson, who made it clear shortly after signing with Zuffa Boxing that he had no intention of giving up control over his ring gear.
Asked by Ariel Helwani about the uniform expectations, Stevenson said, “No, not at all. I’m going to be putting on my own uniforms,” adding that while Zuffa could have some input on design elements, he had already established that the final decision would be his.
When Helwani suggested the stance could eventually change, Stevenson doubled down: “Not at all, not at all.”
Luke Thomas also highlighted the apparent inconsistency in Zuffa Boxing’s approach to athlete gear while calling Ryan Garcia’s win over Conor Benn.
Thomas noted that Gio Paya and Benn appeared to be allowed to wear customized trunks, raising questions about whether only certain athletes are being given that freedom.
“I noticed, man, like Jai Opetaia was allowed to have like his custom trunks and here it looks like Conor Benn is allowed to have his custom… I’m not sure if they all have to have Everlast exactly, but he’s got some custom setup here, which looks kind of dope if I’m being honest,” Thomas said.
He continued, “So it looks like the favored sons can get them, but not everyone can get them. I’m not sure how that works because you know, obviously, UFC. It’s amazing to see like what you can get in Zuffa Boxing versus what you can get in UFC because it’s not the same. There are some differences.”
For Thomas, the uniform issue reflects a larger problem with how much control boxers have over their own careers. He argued that boxers often need someone else to protect their financial interests, health and safety because they cannot be relied upon to safeguard those interests themselves.
He also questioned whether Zuffa Boxing ultimately intends to be simply another promoter or to reshape boxing around its own system. “If all they end up being is just another promoter then what’s the harm?” Thomas said. “The harm is only if they change the game to make themselves the dominant brand.”
Additionally, the boxing gear debate is unfolding alongside a much bigger ambition for Zuffa Boxing: turning a fragmented sport into a more unified league-style product. TKO board member Nick Khan recently said television executives are attracted to the idea of boxing becoming more consistent and predictable, comparing Zuffa’s ambitions to the way UFC and WWE built ecosystems in previously fragmented sports.
“This sport of boxing when it’s great, there might not be anything better. The problem is it’s just not great often enough,” Khan said.
Khan argued that Zuffa Boxing is trying to solve some of the same problems that have repeatedly frustrated television networks, including inconsistent matchmaking, scheduling conflicts and a lack of straightforward communication from promoters.
He said networks want the biggest events but have often been “underserved by unreliable promotional partners,” with Zuffa aiming to “outwork everyone” to rebuild that trust. The league-style approach could ultimately mean greater standardization across everything from event scheduling and promotion to fighter presentation, making the current debate over uniforms and individual control part of a much broader question about how much of boxing Zuffa intends to reshape.
