Anthony Joshua was once onboard with an alleged $500M UFC deal from Dana White

Anthony Joshua is undoubtedly among the most famous boxers in the world today, and the former two-time unified heavyweight champion was once the target of a bumper $500 million contract deal with the UFC, courtesy of Dana White.

In March 2018, 'AJ' was arguably the hottest name in boxing, and many saw the then-undefeated Brit, with a 20-0 record, as an exciting addition to the heavyweight division thanks to his power and skills. A few weeks before his highly anticipated fight against Joseph Parker on March 31, rumors about Dana White and the UFC trying to sign Joshua began making rounds on social media.

According to reports, White wanted the Englishman onboard to promote Zuffa LLC's entry into the boxing world. Around the same time, the current UFC CEO revealed that the promotion had applied for a boxing license in Nevada and planned to make a massive splash in the sport.

Given White's experience with the blockbuster Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight, it's no surprise that he wanted to bag the biggest fish in the sport at the time to kickstart his boxing venture. As per reports, the UFC saw Anthony Joshua as an investment worth $500 million, and White was ready to go all in.

Unfortunately, Dana White's plans of restructuring the sport of boxing and starting a Zuffa Boxing promotion were scrapped a few years after they were thought of. While the UFC's boxing plans never got far enough to require Joshua's services, the Englishman was notably interested in the idea at the time.

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When Anthony Joshua responded to rumors of a $500 million UFC offer

While Anthony Joshua never signed with the UFC for any boxing deal, the Englishman was notably on board with the idea of the world's biggest MMA promotion venturing into the sport and was excited to meet Dana White.

During a media conference call in March 2018, Joshua expressed his admiration for White. He then stated that he shared an excellent working relationship with his promoter, Eddie Hearn, and that a deal with the UFC was possible. He said:

I’m interested because we can all work together. Mine and Eddie's [Hearn] relationship is a really good working relationship... And I’m sure Eddie has an interest in working with Dana White. If it’s good business, it makes sense... I’m happy that Dana’s coming into the game. Hopefully, he can add some excitement, and we can progress forward and make some good money and make some good fights." [h/t sportsjoe.ie]