Zuffa Signs Shakur Stevenson

Shakur Stevenson has signed with Zuffa Boxing.

The signing raises immediate questions about what comes next for the WBO lightweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super lightweight champion, with Devin Haney being linked. Haney has also been linked to Zuffa Boxing. Stevenson reportedly proposed a 144-pound catchweight fight to Haney, and when Haney's side accepted those terms, Stevenson went quiet. Whether Stevenson's move to Zuffa reopens that conversation or changes its terms is unclear.

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Stevenson arrives at Zuffa off the back of one of the most dominant performances of his career. His January dismantling of Teofimo Lopez was comprehensive from the opening bell. The practical challenge for White is constructing the kind of roster depth that allows Stevenson to fight at the highest level.

White built the UFC into the dominant force in combat sports partly by accumulating talent until the best fights in the world had no choice but to happen under his umbrella. Whether the same logic applies to boxing remains to be seen.