Paramount and TKO Group Holdings announced Monday a long-term media rights deal that will place Zuffa Boxing, a new promotion formed by TKO and Saudi Arabia entertainment conglomerate Sela, on Paramount+ and CBS starting in 2026.
The news comes on the heels of Paramount+ and CBS purchasing the exclusive U.S. media rights of the UFC, which is also owned by TKO, in 2026.
Zuffa Boxing was formed in March and is operated by UFC CEO Dana White, WWE president Nick Khan and Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh. The new deal announced Monday, which pertains to the United States, Canada and Latin America, calls for 12 events in 2026. Exact financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“I’m excited to bring great boxing events to a global audience,” White said in a statement released by TKO. “There are millions of boxing fans that will now be able to watch competitive fights with up-and coming boxers as well as the biggest stars in the sport. Paramount will be the home for UFC and boxing fans to watch the greatest fights in combat sports.”
The unofficial launch of Zuffa Boxing took place earlier this month, when Alalshikh and White joined forces to promote a superfight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. That event aired on Netflix.
White, a well-known lifetime fan of boxing, has been instrumental in building the UFC into a global powerhouse since 2011, when he and Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta formed Zuffa LLC and purchased the promotion, which was founded in 1993. In an interview with CBS, White said fans likely will see similarities in how he goes about building his version of boxing success.
“Basically, as a boxing fan, the way the UFC was built was all of the things I loved about boxing and [none] of the things I hated about boxing,” White said. “I would expect a lot of what you saw early on in the UFC to happen with boxing now.”
According to White, Zuffa Boxing is heavily into the process of signing talent now. White confirmed that female athletes will be included.
Exactly how Zuffa Boxing fits into the sport’s landscape remains to be seen. Historically, matchups in boxing have been greatly influenced by sanctioning bodies, whereas the UFC maintains exclusive matchmaking responsibilities in mixed martial arts. Like the UFC, Zuffa Boxing intends to create its own championships, rather than rely on the traditional sanctioning bodies such as the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF.
