5 times Dana White went against his own word

Dana White is among the most well-known combat sports promoters in the world. The 53-year-old has been at the helm of the UFC as the promotion's president since 2001. With over 20 years running the UFC, White has been involved in many of MMA's most prominent moments and events.

Under his vision, the UFC has become the most successful MMA promotion in the world. He has dealt with countless fighters of varying backgrounds, ranging from the soft-spoken Georges St-Pierre to the brash Conor McGregor. However, Dana White himself is also among the sport's top personalities.

His volatile temper is well-noted, and his numerous feuds with media members and even his own fighters have been etched into MMA history. To his misfortune, White has had moments of contradiction, and this list compiles five such incidents.

#5. Dana White claims he doesn't care about Jake Paul fighting Anderson Silva

Jake Paul has taken the combat sports world by storm in recent years. 'The Problem Child' has earned infamy by defeating MMA fighters on career downswings. His first bout against a mixed martial artist ended with a stunning first-round knockout win against renowned wrestler Ben Askren.

His subsequent two bouts were against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, both of which he won. Back in 2021, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva turned back the clock by defeating former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr.

Dana White on Jake Paul and Anderson Silva https://t.co/AAFQYHwlPH

This prompted Dana White to challenge Jake Paul to face Anderson Silva in a boxing match. He claimed that the YouTuber wouldn't dare call out 'The Spider.' After 'The Problem Child' sought to face Jorge Masvidal, White again redirected him to Anderson Silva.

Despite the amount of interest he had in convincing Paul to challenge Silva, White suddenly claimed he didn't care about the matchup at all once it was scheduled. This is in heavy contrast to his insisting that Paul take on the challenge.

#4. Conor McGregor won't fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Back in 2017, there was no matchup more captivating to fight fans than a potential boxing match between undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA's greatest superstar Conor McGregor. After the Irishman's two-round drubbing of former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, boxing was on the horizon.

💬 Dana White: "The odds of McGregor vs Mayweather happening are about the same as me being Tom Brady's back-up quarterback on Sunday." https://t.co/amv9iY1YCv

While 'The Notorious' sought to face Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dana White claimed that the chances of the matchup happening were as probable as him serving as the backup quarterback for NFL legend Tom Brady at the time. It wasn't his first refusal when it came to McGregor's demands to face Mayweather.

This prompted the Irishman to launch a verbal tirade against the promption. Despite being adamant that no matchup would happen, White ended up announcing the boxing match in question a few months later, which directly contrasted with his previous stance that it would never happen.

#3. Dana White never makes fights on the night of the fight

One of the most common trends at UFC post-fight press conferences is media members and journalists in attendance asking UFC President Dana White about subsequent matchups involving the event's winners and losers. Most of the time, he puts ice on such questions by claiming he doesn't make fights right after PPVs.

Dana White says Colby Covington will fight for the title next "no matter what" happens between Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns 🏆 #UFC286 https://t.co/Bd1MouGDOh

Despite how adamant he has been about the claim, he recently contradicted himself. After Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 to successfully defend his welterweight strap, Dana White arrived at the post-fight press conference and announced that Colby Covington would earn the next title shot.

The former interim champion has no wins over any of the current top-ten welterweights. His last victory was against Jorge Masvidal in May 2022. This has led many to wonder exactly why he has been awarded a title shot. While he was the main event's backup fighter, they don't usually get title shots.

#2. Dana White says women will never fight in the UFC

The UFC was in a different position back in 2011. At the time, TMZ Sports caught up to Dana White and asked him about the possibility of women fighting in the promotion. His response has been etched into MMA infamy. He claimed that women would never fight in the UFC.

In January of 2011, a TMZ reporter asked UFC President Dana White if Women would ever be allowed to compete inside the UFC. White responded with “Never”. He believed there weren’t enough good women’s fighters in the world. https://t.co/e9I9DODIRz

Ronda Rousey's ascension, however, changed everything. She became an undefeated sensation that forced the UFC president to change his tune. In late 2012, 'Rowdy' became the first women's mixed martial artist to sign with the UFC. She was also crowned the women's bantamweight champion.

In February of the following year, she defended her title against Liz Carmouche in the first-ever WMMA fight to grace the octagon. It was one of Dana White's most positive contradictions as it opened the door for women everywhere.

#1. Dana White faces no consequences for domestic violence

It's unfortunate that some MMA fighters have engaged in domestic violence against their partners. Not too long ago, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was revealed to have assaulted his fiancée, Jessie Moses. Yet, the former 205'er suffered no consequences from the UFC for his actions.

‘You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman’: Will Dana White be held accountable for his actions? mma-bets.com/you-dont-bounc… https://t.co/zq2k8ccbm5

Worse still, Dana White was caught on video retaliating against his wife's slap with a slap of his own. Yet, the UFC president suffered no consequences. Instead, he claimed that his punishment was to walk around with the label of being a known domestic abuser.

Both his and Jones' situations contrast with something he said years ago. At one point in time, White claimed that no one could come back from hitting a woman. But in direct contradiction to that statement, Jones was awarded a heavyweight title shot, while White himself walked away unscathed.