“Bill said he got a big announcement. I assume he’s signing with Zuffa,” Bradley said on his channel.
Dana White’s history suggests that he prefers a “best vs. best” approach within his own roster. With Devin, Benn and Hitchins all under the same roof, Zuffa doesn’t have to deal with outside promoters like Eddie Hearn or Bob Arum to make those fights happen.
Bradley’s perspective probably comes from the idea of ​​silos. By signing with Zuffa, Devin can be protected from the traditional killers on the PBC or Top Rank side.
If Zuffa keeps their fighters in-house, Bradley sees it as a way to control the risk and ensure that their investments, like Benn, aren’t derailed by outside competitors they can’t control.
“Part of me feels like these are protective services. They keep you away from fighting in high-stakes fights. They don’t have to find opponents for you,” Bradley said.
From a business standpoint, Zuffa isn’t paying Devin or Benn top dollar just to have their tradesmen hit. They need tentpole opportunities to justify the investment.
If Devin signs, the most logical path to a massive event is to put him in a UK vs. US mega-fight with Benn or a technical showdown with Hitchins.
If that’s the protection Devin gets, most fighters would take that deal in a heartbeat. It’s less about avoiding tough fights and more about centralizing the big ones.
If Zuffa builds a stable around Conor Benn, Richardson Hitchins and possibly Devin, they are essentially creating their own shark tank.
Matching Devin against those names would be high-level matchups within a closed ecosystem.
