Top Dana White rants from his tenure as the UFC president
Since the commencement of his stint as UFC president in 2001, Dana White has garnered a reputation for being an outspoken representative of the world's premier MMA organization. In 2023, White was promoted, moving from the role of UFC president to UFC CEO.
During the 2001-2023 timeframe, White was involved in multiple significant feuds -- be it with fellow combat sports promoters or professional fighters (boxers, MMA stars, etc.). The UFC personality has never been apprehensive in regard to unleashing verbal volleys, oftentimes going on no-holds-barred monologues against people who earned his wrath.
Today, we revisit some of Dana White's most infamous rants from his time as UFC president...
#5. Dana White vs. Joe Biden
Dana White has long been a friend of former POTUS Donald Trump, often citing the fact that Trump has been an ardent supporter of the UFC organization since its early days in the 1990s. During the 2020 US presidential elections, White publicly campaigned for Trump.
However, as the results date drew closer, it appeared as though Trump's rival, Joe Biden, would likely become the US President. During a media scrum in 2020, an MMA journalist alluded to White's unwavering support of Trump. The journalist asked whether Biden's imminent win in the elections would adversely affect the UFC.
Dana White responded by referencing a jab that a number of Biden's detractors generally direct against the 81-year-old Democrat. Suggesting that Biden is senile, he laughingly noted:
"In what way? Like, Biden's gonna come after me? I don't think Biden even knows who I am. I don't think Biden knows who Biden is. I had to do it!"
Watch Dana White mock Joe Biden below (4:28):
#4. Dana White vs. Jacob 'Stitch' Duran
Back in 2015, veteran combat sports cutman Jacob 'Stitch' Duran expressed his disapproval of the UFC's Reebok deal. He insinuated that the deal would benefit the organization more than helping its athletes. Duran was subsequently released from his UFC cutman duties and hasn't worked with the MMA promotion ever since.
Duran subsequently noted that he considered Dana White a friend, was surprised by his UFC release, and expected a courtesy call from the UFC bigwig in light of such a major decision.
In a backstage interview later posted to the UFC on FOX YouTube channel, White clarified that Duran won't ever return to the UFC. Moreover, in what soon became one of combat sports' most infamous one-liners, particularly pertaining to friendship, White stated:
"And 'Stitch' Duran needs to learn what the meaning of the word 'friend' is. 'Stitch' Duran and I were never friends. We were work associates. We came up together in the boxing world. And when we hired cutmen, he was one of the guys that I brought in here. Friends are people you call on the phone, you hang out with, you talk to all the time. Don House, who's one of our cutmen, he and I were very close and still are. But 'Stitch' Duran was never my friend."
Furthermore, Dana White explained that he's never dealt with the cutmen, adding that the UFC has a separate department for the same. He also opined that if they were indeed friends, perhaps Duran should've made the first move and called him amid his UFC departure.
Watch Dana White's tirade against Jacob 'Stitch' Duran below:
#3. Dana White vs. Loretta Hunt
Among his many rivalries in the business sphere over the years, one that got Dana White widespread condemnation was his feud with MMA journalist Loretta Hunt of Sherdog.com. Back in 2009, Hunt had put forth an article concerning the UFC organization's treatment of the media.
The UFC had stripped backstage credentials from many fighters’ managers and agents, per Hunt. The article highlighted that this act was likely done as a "campaign to separate the fighters from their business representatives." White was utterly livid at Hunt's report and proceeded to direct profanities and unbridled castigation against the MMA reporter.
Watch a clip of Dana White's rant against Loretta Hunt below:
White referred to Hunt as a "f**king moron" and a "f**king dumb b*tch," besides also asserting that her report was an "absolutely f**king retarded story." It's still regarded as one of the UFC boss' angriest rants ever. Additionally, jibing at the anonymous source in the article, he labeled the source as a "f**king fa**ot."
The UFC had posted a video of White's rant online. Nevertheless, the organization soon took it down after severe backlash from the MMA community, LGBT groups, and members of the pop culture dominion as a whole. White later apologized for using anti-LGBT slurs.
Regardless, White's detractors have time and again pointed out that he didn't issue an apology to Hunt. For her part, Hunt seemed to lightheartedly take the incident in her stride and even jestingly tweeted about it on its 10th anniversary (2019).
#2. Dana White vs. Oscar De La Hoya
One of Dana White's biggest critics in recent years has been boxing legend and Golden Boy Promotions' head honcho Oscar De La Hoya. White has often highlighted that he was initially a fan of 'The Golden Boy,' courtesy of his in-ring accomplishments. He even considered himself a friend of De La Hoya.
Nevertheless, around the time the UFC was promoting the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor crossover boxing match (2017), De La Hoya vehemently urged fight fans to boycott the matchup. White has often pointed out that De La Hoya debased the Mayweather-McGregor fight as a disgrace to boxing but simultaneously lobbied for a 'money fight' against Conor McGregor.
Moreover, following the grueling UFC featherweight title matchup between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in September 2021, De La Hoya lambasted the UFC for supposedly not giving 'The Great' adequate pay.
During a UFC media scrum in 2021, White addressed the former boxer's fighter pay accusations by going on an all-time great rant against him. He stated:
"Now, let's get into De La Hoya. And the only reason that I'm telling you this is because he is a lying, two-faced, hypocritical sack of sh**. And I hate him so much that I love to prove that he's a lying, hypocritical, two-faced piece of sh**."
Furthermore, White took aim at Golden Boy Promotions: Liddell vs. Ortiz 3, the lone MMA event that De La Hoya promoted. He asserted that "17 of the 22 fighters" on his MMA fight card made less than the starting compensation of the UFC.
Besides, White noted that "12 of the 22 fighters" on De La Hoya's MMA card received less than what fighters get on Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS). Moreover, he emphasized that for UFC 266, Volkanovski got paid more to put on his official UFC Venum fight kit than the cumulative pay ($36,500) of the 18 boxers on De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions boxing event (June 9, 2021).
Check out Dana White's comments below (3:46):
#1. Dana White vs. Tito Ortiz
One of the consistent recipients of Dana White's rants has been former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, an athlete he almost ended up facing in a boxing bout.
Prior to becoming UFC president, White used to serve as the manager of fighters such as Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. In the ensuing years, Ortiz and Liddell emerged as top-tier stars for the UFC. The period notably featured multiple highly publicized clashes between White and Ortiz.
In an interview with Big Boy TV in 2023, during his transition phase from UFC president to UFC CEO, White harked back to his turbulent relationship with Ortiz. He suggested that 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' was a greedy and short-sighted individual.
The UFC boss recalled that after fight deals were finalized, following months of negotiations, Ortiz would threaten to pull out at the last minute and demand more money from the UFC.
White lambasted Ortiz for his alleged unprofessionalism and explained that the MMA star routinely abandoned long-term benefits and business relationships for short-term financial gains. Labeling the former UFC fighter as "stupid," White stated:
"As the promoter, you're not supposed to have a rooting interest. I couldn't wait to see Chuck [Liddell] whoop his [Tito Ortiz's] a** ... Here's the problem with Tito. And Tito's just a really dumb human being. He's not intelligent at all. He's very, very f**king stupid. Google 'Tito Ortiz talking.' Okay? And I don't have any beef with Tito anymore. And, Tito, you know you're f**king stupid, Tito. You know you are."
Watch Dana White's rant against Tito Ortiz below: