The UFC’s business methodologies have been under fire for years, and the UFC’s first-ever Canadian champion has put forward his take on things. That fighter in question is Carlos Newton, who captured the UFC welterweight belts years ago and recently spoke at an NSAC hearing about aspects of the UFC antitrust case.
While the new Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act was not specifically mentioned, Newton’s rhetoric did describe the UFC’s business model they want to bring to boxing.
This amended law was recently voted on with full support by the California Commission, and the goal is to expand it to Nevada and beyond. All of this comes ahead of Zuffa Boxing’s scheduled official launch for 2026, and while it doesn’t specifically reference the revival bill, it more discusses a UFC-like framework that the Dana White-helmed boxing league appears to want to impose on boxing athletes, Newton said. [via MMA Fighting],
“This has been challenged time and time again in other sports, but for some reason in the early days Nevada allowed the UFC to operate and no one used independent sanctioning bodies. Why? Because promoters had a choice, but the sport here is to be governed and regulated on behalf of the athletes.”
“To ensure that athletes can compete for titles freely, openly and unfettered, to get what the market will fairly return for their services. Right now, in mixed martial arts, athletes are competing for the promoter. That’s unfair. It’s not a sport.”
UFC’s business practices and Zuffa Boxing’s polarizing, menacing presence
The UFC’s business practices, which Newton did not speak highly of, were prevented in sports like boxing by the previous amendment to the Ali Act, which went into effect in 2000. With multiple UFC-related antitrust lawsuits playing out publicly for years, many combat sports athletes are understandably concerned about Dana White’s new TKO boxing, which utilizes a framework that is deeply discredited by so many.
The original Ali Law was drafted for athlete transparency and to avoid conflicts of interest that were ubiquitous in boxing before 2000. A new provision added to this Revival Act effort would give United Boxing Organizations the ability to use UFC-style hierarchical considerations within their promotional efforts.
With Zuffa Boxing locked into a media rights deal at Paramount set to launch next year, while stalwart boxing promotions like Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions seemingly aren’t in prime position for TV deals, the future of the sweet science has many speculating about what that even looks like.
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