Dana White casts doubt on Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight

UFC CEO Dana White has cast doubt on an all-British fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury after a blunt statement about the future of the showdown.

Joshua and Fury signed contracts earlier this year to fight at home in the autumn. But Netflix, which will broadcast the contest, want to move it to a place suitable for a US audience.

The organisers want to stage the bout on November 20, a Friday, at Madison Square Garden. Joshua, 36, admitted last month that his legacy would be damaged if his biggest fight was shipped abroad. And his promoter Eddie Hearn insists they are not ready to give in, so the date and venue are yet to be announced.

White, who is part of the TKO – the company which owns UFC, WWE and Zuffa Boxing – and is organising the fight, now doubts whether Fury and Joshua are fully invested.

“Listen, this [expletive deleted] saga, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out,” he said.

“They either want to fight or they don’t. I don’t know. To make a fight, two guys have to want to fight. Period. End of story. Contracts and this and that? There’s a lot of [expletive deleted] money for grabs in this fight. Do you want to fight or do you not want to fight?

"I don’t give a [expletive deleted] one way or the other. I’d be happy [if the fight was in the UK]. I don’t give a [expletive deleted]. Do you want to fight or do you not want to fight? The fight should have happened 10 years ago, is it going to happen now? We’ll see."

Tyson Fury, 37, retired for the sixth time in January 2025, before reversing that decision after just one year.

Tyson returned to the ring after 16 months away in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov, winning the contest with a unanimous decision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before forcing Polish boxer Mariusz Wach to retire in a tune-up fight in July.

Anthony Joshua, on the other hand, knocked out Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga on July 25th, paving the way for a long-awaited blockbuster clash with Fury.

This was his first fight since two of his best friends died in a car crash in Nigeria in December 2025, in which he was injured.