3 current UFC fighters who have gone head to head with Dana White
Dana White has had feuds with some of the UFC's top stars throughout the promotion's 27-year history. Whether it's due to his lack of communication skills or his supremely high sense of pride, it's undeniable that Dana White has a tendency to beef with some of the fighters on his company's roster.
Low-tier and middle-of-the-pack UFC fighters don't usually speak out against the UFC boss. But for some UFC stars, it's different. Several high-profile fighters have proven they're not afraid to go head-to-head with Dana White.
Listed below are three current UFC fighters who have feuded with Dana White:
#3 Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor
Before 2020 Dana White and Conor McGregor were in a harmonious relationship. But that all changed when the Irishman decided to publicly shared text messages between himself and the UFC executive.
After a long period of inactivity, 'The Notorious' posted several screenshots of a conversation between himself and Dana White, revealing that he had suggested several dates and opponents.
However, for a number of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and White's lack of interest in McGregor's pitches, none of the suggestions have come to fruition.
Despite McGregor breaching Dana White's trust, the two have managed to patch up their relationship. Earlier this year, the UFC boss said he's "all good" with McGregor:
"We were in a really bad place then, I was really upset. It wasn't because he put out private messages. We were talking about another fighter. And I like Diego Sanchez. I have a lot of respect for Diego Sanchez. I care about Diego Sanchez. I talked to Diego face-to-face about it, and being the great human being he is, we're all good," White said, per ESPN.
#2 UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington
In the lead-up to Colby Covington's UFC 245 title fight with Kamaru Usman, he threatened to hit Dana White with the championship belt if the UFC president straps it on him:
"I can tell you who's not wrapping it around my waist, and that will not be Dana White. "If he tries to wrap it around my waist, I'm gonna take the belt from him and slap him in the face with it," Covington told Submission Radio.
It comes after 'Chaos' was stripped of the UFC interim title after he asked for time away from the UFC to recover from nasal surgery.
Of course, Covington's comment irked White, who fired back by calling the ex-interim champion a "big mouthed f**king idiot."
The former UFC middleweight title challenger also admitted that Dana White hung up on him when he rejected a fight against Leon Edwards. However, the fighter from the American Top Team claimed he only refused the UFC president's offer because he is now seeking proper financial restitution for his efforts.
But Covington and White appear to have buried the hatchet, as is evident from Covington's recent tweet. The welterweight star congratulated his boss after the UFC sale to Endeavor.
#1 Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
Jon Jones and Dana White are currently engaged in a negotiating standoff and an ugly social media feud.
In recent years, the former longtime light heavyweight champ has been lobbying for better pay from the UFC. Talks have been re-ignited since Francis Ngannou won the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 260.
After the fight, Jones immediately jumped on Twitter to express his willingness to challenge the Cameroonian behemoth. But according to 'Bones', he'd only do it at a price that he deems fair.
Instead of negotiating, White tried to shame Jones into fighting Ngannou by questioning his courage:
“If I’m Jon Jones and I’m home watching this fight, I’d start moving to ’85,” White said during the UFC 260 post-fight presser. “I could sit here all day and tell you what ‘show me the money means.’ I tell you guys this all time, you can say you want to fight somebody, but do you really want to?"
Jones retaliated by directing a series of now-deleted tweets to the UFC boss, even asking for his release in one of them.