Zuffa Boxing Sets Eight Divisions, One Champion Per Weight

Zuffa Boxing limits championships to eight belts, forcing fighters to shift weight

Dana White has drawn a hard line through boxing’s belt culture and fixed Zuffa Boxing to eight weight divisions with one champion in each. The structure forces fighters to adjust the scale if they want a Zuffa belt.

Heavyweight begins at 200 plus pounds. Then cruiserweight at 200, light heavyweight 175, middleweight 160, welterweight 147, lightweight 135, featherweight 126, and bantamweight 118. No secondary straps. No interim placeholders. One man at the top.

That decision lands directly on fighters who built careers at 140, 154, or 168. They now face a simple gym problem. Tighten the diet and make the lower number, or move up and carry the extra weight. There is no comfortable middle.

For rankings, Zuffa Boxing plans to lean on Ring Magazine as a starting board while it builds its own rankings.

The first belt under this model comes March 8 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas when Jai Opetaia and Brandon Glanton fight for the cruiserweight championship. Opetaia holds the IBF belt and is regarded inside gyms as the division’s top man.

White has been clear about the philosophy. “The plan is simple: one champion per division.” He has also pointed to MMA’s blueprint, saying fewer champions create “a much clearer picture for fans.”

Inside boxing, the order at the top has always been the problem. Four belts in one division jam the contender line and stall the mandatories. One champion straightens the route. The No. 1 has to step in and take it, then the next man follows. No side roads.

An eight-division setup gives the sport a clean base, though the real test sits with the matchmakers. If Zuffa keeps the contenders busy, orders eliminators, and moves mandatories on schedule, those belts hold value in the ring. If the challengers start circling and dates slip, it turns into another strap competing for space in an already packed market.

And if Zuffa holds firm on one belt per weight class, the rest of the sport will feel that pressure sooner than later.