Dana White, the often confrontational head of the UFC, has a history of disputes with reporters covering the sport.
In 2020 he released a video aimed at journalists who criticized the UFC’s decision to hold events early in the COVID‑19 pandemic.
A 2009 incident saw White issue an expletive‑laden tirade that included an anti‑gay slur while responding to a story about credentialing changes at UFC events.
White has long been a close ally and personal friend of former President Donald Trump.
In 2001 White and his partners purchased the struggling UFC for $2 million at a time when mixed‑martial‑arts faced intense bipartisan opposition.
Just five years earlier Senator John McCain famously called MMA “human cockfighting,” leading to bans in 36 states.
“None of the venues wanted [the UFC]… they didn’t believe in it, they didn’t like it, and they were worried about the type of crowd that would show up,” White told CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner, in 2025.
With mainstream arenas rejecting the sport, White credits Trump for rescuing the organization by hosting two UFC events at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City in 2001.
This past summer the UFC staged a cage match on the White House lawn.
White has served as a speaker for Trump’s White House campaigns at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
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