Zuffa Boxing is less than a month away from its official launch. And early rumors suggest that Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez could be on the promotion’s radar. Meanwhile, trainer Robert Garcia has now shed light on whether there’s any truth to those claims.

The newly formed boxing promotion, spearheaded by UFC CEO Dana White, is set to debut on January 23—just a day before UFC 324. Behind the scenes, Zuffa Boxing has begun assembling its roster. But is ‘Bam’ Rodriguez really one of them, as the rumors suggest?

Dana White is not getting his hands on Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez

Earlier today, Pound4Pound on X shared rumors that had been circulating within the boxing community. “Robert Garcia is reportedly putting pressure on Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez to sign with Zuffa Boxing,” the account claimed. Rodriguez’s longtime trainer, Robert Garcia, was quick to shut down the speculation.

Debunking the claims, Garcia made it clear the rumors were unfounded. “100% not true,” Garcia wrote on X. “I haven’t talked to Bam about anything regarding boxing since his fight. The next time I speak to him about boxing is when I have concrete offers from whoever is interested in working with him, and we will decide as a team what is best for him.”

This development comes in the aftermath of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez’s victory over Fernando Daniel Martinez on November 22, which also marked the final bout of his contract with Matchroom Boxing. As it stands, the undefeated unified super flyweight champion is officially a free agent, with no confirmation yet on whether he will continue his partnership with Matchroom.

Rodriguez first signed with Matchroom in February 2022, and the two sides went on to collaborate on nine fights. While the exact figures of his fight purses remain undisclosed, it’s widely believed that Zuffa Boxing may be reluctant to match the financial terms Matchroom previously offered. Regardless, even if Rodriguez doesn’t end up joining Zuffa, the promotion reportedly has other names already in their stable.

Roster for Zuffa Boxing

Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael revealed several fighters expected to compete under the new promotion, which will stream on Paramount. “Per sources, some Zuffa Boxing signees for its league that begins in Jan & will stream on Paramount+,” Rafael wrote on X before listing the names. 

The group includes “Former WBA 140 titlist Jose Valenzuela; former WBA ‘regular’ 147 titlist Radzhab Butaev; 130 Justin Viloria; 135 Eridson Garcia, who upset Taiga Imanaga on Inoue-Picasso card; 160 Vito Mielnicki, 168 Misael Rodriguez.”

Valenzuela stands out after his upset win over Isaac Cruz to claim the WBA super lightweight title, though he later lost to Gary Antuanne Russell in March 2025. Butaev enters with momentum following a unanimous decision win over Artem Pugach.

While the roster lacks marquee superstars, it signals Zuffa Boxing’s strategy of building from the ground up rather than chasing boxing’s highest-paid names. And Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez isn’t one of them. Do you think Zuffa could convince Rodriguez if they wanted to?