"The UFC belt is not even real" - MMA analyst gives brutal reality check about Dana White and Turki Alalshikh's new boxing league
The new boxing league devised by Dana White and Turki Alalshikh alongside the UFC CEO's TKO Group Holdings cohorts is already drawing criticism. Veteran MMA analyst Luke Thomas posted a recent video to his YouTube channel, during which he took aim at White's boxing plans.
While answering questions in his comment section, the topic of championship belts in boxing came, specifically in relation to the four major sanctioning bodies: the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO. While addressing the legitimacy of belts from other organizations, Thomas said the following:
"The problem is, the Ring [Magazine] belt is not a real belt. By the way, I know this is gonna be controversial, but what I'm about to say is true. And the reason why I know it is true is because Lawrence Epstein in a deposition said as much. And by the way, not just him, I believe Lorenzo Ferttita did as well, but certainly Lawrence Epstein, who by the way Harvard law guy, leadership of UFC, been there for a very long time, very smart guy, he's not some idiot."
Thomas further elaborated on why the value of the UFC's championship belts is merely symbolic, lacking the kind of legal weight and sporting legitimacy that the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts do.
"Lawrence Epstein is a very bright individual. The UFC belt is not even real. It is a token that they give to a winning fighter on the night, but it doesn't actually represent anything. And that is not me saying that. That is what UFC management has said under oath."
Check out Luke Thomas scoffing at Dana White's boxing league (6:53):
While this does not bode well for the UFC CEO's boxing aspirations, it will do nothing to stop him, least of all that the UFC has never had any qualms with leaning into its entertainment side.
Dana White has several fighters he can use to prop up his new boxing league
While Dana White will certainly look to sign some of the world's best boxers to his new promotion, he already has ready-made talent available in the UFC. In fact, three fighters come to mind. There's UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who has expressed an interest in boxing Oleksandr Usyk.
Moreover, Pereira has elite-level boxing by MMA standards, coming from the kickboxing world, where he was a force to be reckoned with. Then there's Ilia Topuria, whose boxing has been widely praised by his contemporaries. Similarly, Sean O'Malley has repeatedly expressed an interest in boxing.