Dana White releases Shakur Stevenson from Zuffa Boxing after just two months together

Dana White confirmed at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference that he personally offered Shakur Stevenson a release from Zuffa Boxing, dissolving a partnership that lasted only a couple of months and never produced a single fight.

The announcement drew immediate questions about fairness, given that several UFC fighters have publicly sought — and been denied — their own contract releases. White was direct in separating the two situations.

“Well, we never even did one fight with the guy. We were in business with him for a couple months,” White said, framing the brevity of the arrangement as the key distinction.

Asked whether Stevenson or his team had been difficult to deal with, White declined to assign blame to either side. “Listen, man. I think that everybody’s involved. They’re happy, you know, with where we’re at with it. I have nothing bad to say about him or his team, but I offered him the release, and they accepted.”

White did not disclose a specific reason for ending the partnership or reveal what prompted the mutual decision. The lack of detail leaves open whether the split was driven by scheduling disagreements, strategic differences, or simply a mismatch in expectations between Stevenson’s camp and the Zuffa Boxing operation.

Stevenson, a former WBC and WBO lightweight champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist, had been one of the more high-profile signings for Zuffa Boxing, the promotional arm launched by UFC parent company TKO Group. His departure before throwing a single punch under the banner is a notable early setback for the venture.

The episode is unlikely to quiet the broader debate around UFC fighter contracts. White’s reasoning — that the Stevenson release was justified by the absence of any completed bouts — implicitly reinforces the promotion’s position that fighters who have competed extensively under UFC terms are held to a different standard.