Dana White has given his version of Shakur Stevenson’s departure from Zuffa Boxing, revealing that he offered the unbeaten champion his release before the two sides parted without staging a single fight together.
The UFC boss described a mutually accepted split, with neither side looking to continue the relationship. That adds another angle to Shakur’s announcement that he had requested his release after weeks of training without a fight materializing.
“I have nothing bad to say about him or his team, but I offered him the release, and they accepted,” White said at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference in Abu Dhabi.
White pointed to the short duration of their partnership and the absence of any completed fights. He declined to discuss proposed opponents or explain what prevented Zuffa from getting Shakur into the ring.
That leaves the financial and matchmaking questions unanswered. White did not publicly blame Shakur’s purse expectations, identify a rejected opponent or accuse him of being difficult to work with.
Still, offering a release suggests Zuffa was comfortable letting the relationship end. There was no public attempt from White to persuade the WBO light welterweight champion to stay or suggest that losing him had damaged the promotion’s plans. That is an interpretation of his response, rather than an explanation he supplied.
Shakur’s account focused on inactivity. He said he had spent roughly eight weeks preparing for fights that never happened and wanted to move forward as a free agent, with plans to establish his own promotional company.
The two versions do not necessarily contradict each other. Shakur could have requested a departure during discussions in which White offered to release him. Neither account establishes the full sequence of those conversations.
The immediate consequence is straightforward: a deal announced in July ended after approximately three months without producing a bout. Shakur now has the freedom to negotiate elsewhere, but his next agreement needs to deliver an opponent and a date. Zuffa, meanwhile, has moved on from a signing that never reached the ring.
