Keith Connolly wants fans to “embrace” Zuffa boxing.

“There is. But you know what? When there’s a disruptor in the sport, and Zuffa right now is the disruptor because they’re the new kid on the block, and they’re financially capitalized. They probably have some of the smartest guys in or the smartest people in combat sports. Nick Khan, Dana White, guys that have been successful in everything they’ve said in the life of Keunchout Boxing.

“People get worried, but I think at the end of the day, boxing is boxing. Everyone will eventually work together, and the fans will win in the end. I mean, I’m surprised at the negativity as far as the fans about Zuffa, when you have, is it because it’s the unknown?”

Connolly believes the traditional side of boxing has helped create skepticism towards the new company, but he sees the added money and media exposure as a positive for the sport.

“And I think the traditional promoters put a negative spin on them, but I think we have to embrace them because when you have a few hundred million a year in the sport that wasn’t there before, and where you have platforms that they put fights on like Paramount that already has 70 million plus paid subscribers,” Connolly said. “How is that not good for the sport? Why wouldn’t the fans be happy? Why wouldn’t everyone be happy?”

“We want more eyeballs on boxing. Everyone is talking about the sport dying. Now you have a platform of 70 million subscribers,” Connolly said. “Now there are three to four fights a year on Netflix, which has 300 million subscribers. People should be happy. It could be a renaissance in boxing. It could bring the sport back.”

Connolly added that he ultimately wants every promoter and network to be successful because he believes the overall health of boxing improves when more big companies invest in the sport.