Andy Ruiz Signs With Zuffa Boxing Under Dana White’s New Promotion
Former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz Jr. has signed with Zuffa Boxing, Dana White’s new boxing outfit, adding one of the division’s most recognizable names to a rapidly expanding roster. The move follows Zuffa’s recent capture of middleweight Conor Benn and signals that White is using big‑name fighters instead of a bottom‑up “development” model to position the promotion in boxing.
Andy Ruiz Joins Zuffa Boxing as Dana White Builds Roster Around Big Names
Ruiz’s fit with Zuffa was flagged by journalist Abraham Gonzalez in January 2026, who wrote that he was hearing Andy Ruiz might join Zuffa Boxing and urged fans to watch for confirmation. By late February, multiple outlets reported that the deal had been finalized after Ruiz himself commented on White’s Instagram post announcing Benn’s signing, writing, “Let’s go we about to make this big @danawhite,” a line widely interpreted as endorsement of his own attachment to the promotion. Social posts from outlets such as Instagram‑based boxing pages then stated explicitly that Ruiz had signed with Zuffa, framing it as an already‑official move.
The signing is notable because Ruiz has been largely inactive since his August 2024 draw with Jarrell Miller under Matchroom Boxing, with reports pointing to a fractured hand and other issues limiting his schedule. His record since losing the rematch to Anthony Joshua in 2019 stands at 2–1–1, with wins over Chris Arreola and Luiz Ortiz and a loss to Joseph Parker, but the long gaps have kept him out of the upper tier of the current heavyweight picture. Zuffa can now leverage his name value while helping him rebuild momentum in fights that may be staged under the UFC‑style presentation familiar to US‑centric audiences.
Behind the scenes, Zuffa Boxing is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Al‑Sheikh, who has helped finance the Conor Benn contract and is expected to underwrite other high‑profile deals, including Ruiz’s. This financial muscle has triggered a public clash with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, who has accused White of working for “a new daddy” in Turki and has pushed back against what he sees as a destabilizing intrusion into traditional boxing promotion. For Ruiz, the move may represent a fresh promotional environment where visibility and paydays are tied more directly to star power than to years‑long matchmaking within an established stable.
In the short term, Zuffa’s immediate options for Ruiz include a return to a recognizable heavyweight or a mid‑card fight on a Benn‑led card, with commentators already speculating that opponents could come from other parts of the overcrowded top‑10 landscape. Whether he can rediscover his 2019 form against current contenders will depend on how quickly Zuffa can get him back into consistent activity, but the signing itself cements his status as one of the first established champions brought into White’s boxing venture.
