Max Kellerman is rarely short on takes. And when it comes to Dana White’s legacy, the former First Take star’s stance is clear.
“Dana White is the greatest promoter of combat sports who ever lived,” Kellerman said on the latest episode of Ari Emanuel’s Rushmore video podcast. “He is the only promoter of combat sports who has built an institution.”
White, for what’s worth, was seated right next to the Zuffa Boxing broadcaster as he said it.
“When you say like, ‘Hey, why can’t boxing do X, Y and Z?’ it’s because if you were to say, ‘Hey, you know what they should do in football?’ there’s a ‘they.’ There’s Roger Goodell,” Kellerman continued. “There’s a million football leagues, but there’s a brand that like Band-Aid or Frigidaire once upon a time meant bandage or refrigerator. The UFC means MMA. To your casual, to your average person, they hear UFC and MMA interchangeably.”
Emanuel proceeded to question why boxing was never able to create its own independent league prior to the implementation of the Ali Act. That prompted White to suggest that there “was never vision” for such a promotion, unlike his own for UFC.
“We knew exactly how we wanted to do it,” the UFC president said. “We just didn’t know if it was doable.”
Max Kellerman: Dana White is the greatest promoter of combat sports who ever lived. He is the only promoter of combat sports who has built an institution.pic.twitter.com/DpT4mUViwM
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) February 3, 2026
As it turns out, it was, and now TKO is attempting to replicate that same model with Zuffa Boxing. Doing so, however, could prove easier said than done, if the sport’s history is any indication.
As for Kellerman’s comments, there’s no questioning White’s status as one of the greatest — if not the greatest — promoters in the history of combat sports. But they also aren’t likely to change Ariel Helwani’s stance on the ex-ESPN star, who he recently admonished as a “shill” following Zuffa Boxing’s debut broadcast.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.