Dana White says Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford could open door for UFC stadium shows

UFC CEO Dana White is historically apprehensive about booking stadium shows, but Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford could change that. Canelo vs. Crawford is the first combat event in Allegiant Stadium’s five-year history, despite UFC operating primarily out of Las Vegas. White says the success of Canelo vs. Crawford could spur him to bring a UFC stadium show stateside.

The UFC has hosted three stadium shows in its history, twice in Australia and once in Canada. White believes stadiums complicate the atmosphere, fan experience and production for his mixed martial arts promotion. Ahead of Canelo vs. Crawford, the UFC CEO hopes the boxing super fight changes his mind.

“I’ve done stadium shows with UFC out of the country before. I don’t love them,” White told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “This is what I’m hoping. I’m hoping I’ll love tomorrow.” 

Canelo vs. Crawford marks Zuffa Boxing’s first foray into the squared circle. The promotion, owned by UFC and WWE’s parent company TKO Group Holdings, was founded by White and Turki Alalshikh.

White believes Zuffa Boxing will have a strong television or streaming presence next year. He expects to finalize a TV or streaming deal for at least a dozen fight cards next year.

“I will get a TV deal done,” White said. “We will announce in ’26 that we’ll be putting these on. And in ’26, boxing will be on television and it’ll be like the glory days. Right now, there’s boxing on TV every once in a blue moon. I go pretty much every Saturday with UFC. I’ll say we’ll probably do 12 to 16 fights in 2026.”