Dana White frustrates Alex Poatan and Ilia Topuria and explains why he's against UFC stars fighting in boxing.

Poatan focused before fighting in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC

Currently, Alex Poatán e Ilia Topuria They are two of the biggest stars in the UFC, but that doesn't mean the pair can do whatever they want with their respective careers. At their peak in MMA, the Brazilian and the Georgian, who will be in action at UFC Casa Branca, an event scheduled for June 14th in Washington (USA), have already stated that they would like to switch to boxing in the future. However, Dana White stands as an insurmountable barrier for the athletes.

At the post-UFC LondonThe executive, when asked if he would authorize the company's stars to fight in Zuffa Boxing, his boxing league, vehemently denied the crossover between sports. It is true that many MMA fighters, especially veterans, have been venturing into the noble art in recent years, but few please or convince.

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Therefore, the UFC president emphasizes that the best athletes in a sport should compete where they excel, because that way they can continue to deliver memorable performances and victories, rather than unbalanced fights and even frustrating defeats in a sport they don't master. It's worth noting that this wasn't the first time the executive has ruled out any possibility of the company's stars competing in boxing.

“One of the UFC guys fighting in Zufa Boxing? No way. These crossover fights are bullshit. That’s not what we do. I want to see the best fighters in the world fighting the best. I’d like to see Opetaia against Usyk. There are other platforms and people who do that kind of thing. That’s not what I do. I did it once. I don’t know if it was amazing. It was financially unbelievable,” said the executive.

“But how many times can you keep fooling people with this? I run a business that basically promotes fights every Saturday, and we try to match the best fights with the best fighters in the world. What we aim to provide on Saturdays is as many unbelievable moments as possible. You don't see that in crossover fights.”

“Tell me about a crossover fight you’ve seen and thought, ‘Wow, that was incredible!’ What interests me is seeing the best against the best. What’s at stake? What does this fight mean? So, if I take my biggest UFC star and put him against a big boxing star and the fight is unbalanced, horrible, and means nothing to them, what would be the point and purpose? That’s not what we do here,” he concluded.

Poatan and Topuria's boxing targets

Despite Dana White's 'no', Alex Poatán e Ilia Topuria They won't give up on their dream of transitioning to boxing in the future. In fact, when approached about the subject, the UFC stars, who have exclusive contracts, make no secret of the big names they would like to face.

The Brazilian, former UFC middleweight (up to 83,9 kg) and light heavyweight (up to 93 kg) champion, admitted his interest in fighting Oleksandr Usyk. The Georgian, former featherweight (up to 65,8 kg) champion and current lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) champion, wants to face Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford. Former bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg) champion Sean O'Malley is another who is looking to venture into boxing and constantly argues with Gervonta Davis.