Dana White's Zuffa Boxing confirms date for first show in 2026

Boxing is preparing itself for the arrival of a new force in 2026 in the form of Dana White's Zuffa Boxing. 

After dominating the world of MMA with the UFC, White, in partnership with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, has his sights set on doing the same with the sweet science. 

Following September's mega-fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford, which was staged in partnership with Zuffa Boxing, the promotion has now confirmed the date of its first event. 

First Zuffa Boxing show to take place in January 2026

The start of 2026 is set to be a major moment for TKO Group, the parent company of Zuffa Boxing and UFC, with it being the start of a new broadcast deal with Paramount. 

TKO never do things by halves, and they will be going all out this time around with the first Zuffa Boxing show set to take place on Friday, January 23, the day before UFC 324. 

• Read next | Can David Benavidez be the new face of boxing?

“We are planning to launch our first fight on January 23, which is the night before our first UFC fight," TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro said. 

“So back to back nights, big weekend for TKO to say the least.”

When it comes to who will be fighting on Zuffa Boxing's first show, this is still unknown with the promotion yet to announce any signings. 

Zuffa Boxing schedule set to feature 12 shows in 2026

When it comes to how the rest of the year will shape up for 2026, Zuffa Boxing will look to stage 12 shows. 

Up to four of these will be mega-events of the same calibre to Canelo vs. Crawford with White looking to secure deals with some of boxing's biggest stars to fight under the Zuffa Boxing banner. 

White is never afraid to put his own stamp on his endeavours, and in an interview with CBS Sports earlier this year, he revealed the possibility of changing the design of a traditional boxing ring. 

"We're going to start from the ground up," White said. "We are already working on a new design for the ring.

"That meeting was yesterday, too. We had a huge design meeting for a new boxing ring."

Sign up to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPV's included in your subscription 

Subscribe to DAZN's new Ultimate Tier to get a minimum of 12 PPV events included per year, including The Ring V and Lopez vs. Stevenson, on top of another 185 fight nights. Plus Serie A football, watch on multiple devices, and many more extra benefits.

Sign up for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here.