What Zuffa brings to matchmaking in boxing in 2026?

What does Zuffa Boxing bring to matchmaking in boxing in 2026? Quite a lot if you look at their track record in the fight game.

They come from the UFC (mixed martial arts) sport but it is still professional fighting and a fight is a fight.

Over 20 years or so they were able to build up the UFC from a very small declining organization to a now growing powerful brand estimated to be worth
$23 billion as of 2026.

Fundamental to this has been the simple but most important ability to put on the best fights possible for fans, consistently, week in, month out and year in, year out.

Where overall, whilst it is not always possible, makes matches involving the best fighters against the other best fighters in a given weight division.

What Zuffa brings to matchmaking in boxing in 2026

The same thing can of course be applied in boxing now that they are starting off promoting professional boxing with Paramount on January 23rd at the Apex in Las Vegas.

Callum Walsh headlines this month at the Apex and while the event is not in a huge venue for the first one, that will possibly be because they want to get the production absolutely spot on with the new streaming deal with Paramount to hit the ground running moving forward after that.

Over the years fans of the UFC have grown accustom to their fights taking on challenges and fighting the most dangerous contenders in their weight divisions and sometimes in other weight divisions too.

Moving up or down in weight for champions or contenders has happened in the UFC (who own Zuffa Boxing) and that can be done easier in professional boxing.

Given there is usually only 7 or 8 pounds in the difference in weight divisions in professional boxing — not an entire 15 pounds difference per weight division like there is in the UFC for instance.

This should allow the Zuffa Boxing to match more pound for pound stars and prospects and contenders in different weights but near one another in weight — against one another as well.

The first Zuffa Paramount boxing card January 23rd headliner this month is now confirmed here.