Nick Khan has expanded on why TKO is pushing for amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, outlining how the changes would support the launch of Zuffa Boxing while offering fighters an alternative path outside traditional sanctioning bodies.

Khan joined the show to promote TKO’s vision for Zuffa Boxing, explaining that the proposed updates would allow the organisation to establish its own rankings, titles, and divisions. The Ali Act, introduced in 2000, was designed to shield fighters from abusive promoter practices, and the amendments introduced this summer would not replace those protections but instead create an optional new framework.

Khan emphasised that the current rules would remain intact for anyone who wants to continue operating under them.
“Everything that the act already has, will stay the same,” he said.
“If you’re a fighter and you want to continue with it, nothing changes. This is presenting an ‘or,’ a different option where if you want to come into a unified boxing organisation like Zuffa, or anyone else who wants to create a unified boxing organisation, come here, fight with us, we’ll have our own rankings system, the champion will fight the number one contender, just like in the UFC.”

He also discussed how Zuffa Boxing plans to rank fighters and select title challengers, noting the system would mirror the philosophy of The Ring Magazine while quoting Ric Flair along the way.
“We’re basing our model, in part, on The Ring’s model, the champion fights the number one contender. The lineal champion, if you will. To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man, not to make this about Ric Flair, but that’s exactly what you have to do for the Ring Championship belt. It would be the same thing in Zuffa.”

However, the proposed changes have sparked strong criticism. Opponents argue that they dismantle vital protections such as financial transparency and could again expose fighters to conflicts of interest between promoters and managers. Concerns have also been raised about the level of control a unified boxing organisation could gain under the new model.

In October, the California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously to support the amendments, but not all governing groups agree. The Association of Professional Boxing Commissions condemned the proposal, calling it “an abomination.”

“This so-called Revival Act, however, is a disgrace as it will open the door for self serving ‘Unified Boxing Organizations’ (UBOs) to operate outside the current sanctioning framework, effectively allowing one corporation, in this case T.K.O. Group, to both regulate and promote under its own banner,” said APBC President Albert Low.

Combat sports regulatory lawyer Erik Magraken also raised concerns when speaking to The Guardian earlier this year, stating the amendments would “gut the key protections from the Ali Act,” and allow promoters to secure near-total control of rankings and titles.

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