5 times that UFC President Dana White absolutely owned media personnel
UFC president Dana White is undoubtedly an abrasive and confrontational figure at times. Despite his success in driving the UFC, his nature often puts him at odds with members of the media.
Unlike other sporting figureheads, Dana White has never been afraid to hit out at the media, particularly when he feels they’ve been unfair or biased against the UFC.
With his instantly quotable, profanity-laced rants, when Dana White does rail against the media, it’s often highly entertaining.
With that considered, here are five times Dana White absolutely owned media personnel.
#5. Dana White hits out at the media over their response to the UFC during the COVID-19 pandemic
The most recent example of Dana White lashing out at the media came in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the virus surged around the world in early 2020, the world largely responded by shutting down – the UFC included.
But after canceling a string of its shows in March and April, Dana White decided to attempt to get the show back on the road. He rebooked UFC 249 - with a main event of Justin Gaethje vs. Tony Ferguson - in Jacksonville, Florida, in early May.
The media were up in arms about the decision, feeling that the safety of everyone involved would be at stake. Regardless, White was determined to push on.
As it turns out, the UFC delivered its events during 2020 pretty well all things considered. The promotion was able to keep its fighters largely safe – even if a great number of them were forced out of fights due to COVID-19.
In July, the promotion secured the ‘Fight Island’ facility in Abu Dhabi. This ensured its international competitors could get back into the octagon without traveling to the US.
When 2020 came to an end, it was unsurprising to see Dana White hit out at his doubters in the media.
In a video posted by the UFC – which has since been removed – clips of the media criticizing the UFC and White were played alongside clips of the promotion’s eventually successful 2020. The UFC president’s abrasive responses were spliced in alongside them.
The video didn’t go down well with the media of course. However, it’s safe to say that, as always, Dana White probably didn’t care too much.