USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Teofimo Lopez is revealing why he didn’t end up signing with Zuffa Boxing.
Over the summer, Lopez signed a historic deal to become one of the faces of DAZN boxing. On August 22nd, Lopez will make his debut under the DAZN deal when he faces off against Rolly Romero on August 22nd for the WBA championship live on DAZN and Amazon Prime PPV.
𝗪𝗕𝗔 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘! 🏆
The FIRST face-off between Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez ‼️#RollyTeofimo | Aug 22 | Live on DAZN and DAZN on Prime. ▪️ pic.twitter.com/JUxt8HLKA8
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 9, 2026
Before signing with DAZN, Lopez had an awkward interaction with Dana White at a Brand Risk event at the Meta Apex, where White appeared to give him the cold shoulder while live on stream.
The awkward moment when Dana White and Hunter Campbell ignored Teofimo Lopez at Brand Risk 💀 pic.twitter.com/cbwJ0oOfUY
— FIGHTFLIX (@Fightflix_) July 9, 2026
We spoke to Lopez ahead of his fight with Romero, and he confirmed that he chose to sign with DAZN after his interaction with White.
“You can only take so much disrespect, and with Dana walking past me at the Brand Risk show they had at the UFC Apex, I think that solidified my decision right there with Zuffa or DAZN. I always feel this thing with Dana. I just trusted my gut, DAZN is where it’s at, and I want to see what we do next.”
@jzosports Teofimo Lopez says he signed with DAZN over Zuffa Boxing after being disrespected by Dana White