Dana White has brought together two familiar faces from ESPN’s First Take, with Molly Qerim and Max Kellerman joining the on-air team for Zuffa Boxing.
Zuffa Boxing launches this week in Las Vegas, with Molly Qerim taking on the hosting role and Max Kellerman serving as a boxing analyst.
The debut event, hosted at the META Apex and streamed on Paramount+, marks Dana White’s latest step in pushing Zuffa beyond the UFC and deeper into the boxing landscape. It brings together sports television veterans with a strong history of on-air chemistry.
Dana White reunites Molly Qerim and Max Kellerman for Zuffa Boxing
Molly Qerim, who left First Take and ESPN in late 2025, takes on her first major role since departing the network.
Max Kellerman, who exited in 2022, returns to a familiar space as one of the sport’s most respected broadcast voices.
Their reunion highlights the credibility Dana White aims to build into Zuffa Boxing’s presentation as a new promotion.
Both bring years of mainstream television experience to a project seeking to merge the professionalism of sports media with the intensity of live fight production.
First Take history reconnects under Dana White’s new venture
Molly Qerim and Max Kellerman previously co-hosted ESPN’s First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith, shaping the show’s debate-driven identity.
Max Kellerman’s exit in 2022 followed Stephen A. Smith’s preference for a more personality-centred format, a change that shifted the tone of the show.
Molly Qerim remained as host until 2025, though her reasons for leaving ESPN were not made public.
Her move to Zuffa Boxing marks both a new beginning and an unexpected reunion with a former colleague under Dana White’s growing media brand.
Zuffa Boxing’s first event airs live from the META Apex in Las Vegas, representing more than just a debut for the promotion.
It’s also a symbolic moment in sports broadcasting, as two familiar ESPN voices return to screens together — this time calling fights instead of debates.
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