UFC President Dana White has absolutely no interest in a possible Canelo Alvarez vs Kamaru Usman super fight, between the two best competitors in boxing and MMA.
The idea of the UFC’s pound-for-pound best facing his sweet science counterpart in boxing has been a booking Usman has campaigned for since November. It was something he suggested just days before his UFC 268 title defense against Colby Covington, and even more so in the months following his victory inside NewYork’s Madison Square Garden.
Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, has also got into the media push recently by claiming his client would knock the superstar boxer out in just three rounds.
Dana White calls Canelo vs Usman fight ‘silly’
However, the only way such a fight would even be possible is if the promotion allowed Usman to compete outside the Octagon despite having an active UFC contract. Well, don’t get your hopes up for that, because the promotion’s boss, Dana White, is not one bit interested in a Usman vs Canelo showdown.
“I hate the Canelo fight. I mean I don’t even have to explain it to people. Everybody knows, I mean come on. It’s silly,” White told ESPN MMA on Thursday.
- Canelo Alvarez record: 56-1-2 (38 KOs)
White explains why he is against Canelo Alvarez vs Kamaru Usman
The only reason why a cross-over fight like this isn’t dismissed outright is that the UFC allowed their biggest box office draw in Conor McGregor to venture into boxing to face legendary pugilist Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in 2017. It was a rare opportunity to make boatloads of cash, and White was willing to break from his traditional stance on co-promotion and fill up the UFC cophers in a major way.
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That one instance in time has also taught White a valuable lesson, just like a boxer would get crushed if they jumped in a cage fight, MMA fighters do not do well when they cross over to boxing. Especially against the elites of the sport.
“[Fighters] come in here, they build themselves up, they make and name, and then there’s these possible boxing matches. You can’t look at every one of these things like the Conor-Mayweather fight. It’s not gonna be like the Conor-Mayweather fight,” said White. “You put on one of these types of fights, and you don’t sell the way you hope it would sell, believe me, I’m not interested in that. It’s not what I do.
“… We know what happens if a boxer comes into the UFC. We know what happens when UFC fighters go to boxing,” he continued. “Especially when you’re talking about Canelo. One of the best in the world. One of the best of all time. Mayweather, one of the best of all time. It’s just silly.”
McGregor and Mayweather are two of the biggest draws in combat sports history. Their bout would go on to earn the second-most pay-per-view buys of all time. Second only to the megafight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao two years earlier. Mayweather would beat McGregor by tenth-round technical knockout.
The Irishman is still by far the biggest name in the UFC, and it makes sense why White isn’t willing to have another of his top talents embarrassed for a co-promotion payday that would pale in comparison to what was achieved five years ago.