Dana White has a message for his critics: Look what I do next.
Dana White is arguably the most important figure in mixed martial arts history. The UFC CEO is one of the central figures in transforming a small niche sport into a multi-billion dollar industry. During his tenure as head of the UFC, the company grew from a small company on the brink of bankruptcy to an industry leader and sports brand that last year signed a $7.7 billion television rights deal with Paramount. While the company has enjoyed tremendous financial success over the past few years, it’s not perfect.
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In recent years, White has added a number of other sports entities to his promotional portfolio, including UFC BJJ, Power Slap and the upcoming Zuffa Boxing. With White’s attention being diverted in multiple directions, some critics claim the UFC CEO is no longer focused on his flagship business. But White said that was nonsense.
“So I gave an interview to CBS and I didn’t answer the questions the way they thought I should answer them, so I don’t care about the UFC anymore?” White told Sports Business Journal in response to suggestions his interest had waned. “Well, I’ll tell you what, here’s my answer: Come and see what we do in 2026 to 2027, and you’ll see that I care deeply about the UFC — and Zuffa Boxing and Power Slap and Thrill One and Dodge/[Ram] Indicates that I have just started. “
“Honestly, my job description changed a little bit when I became CEO of the company. I took on more work and I don’t know what they saw in the CBS interview – I don’t even know how to answer the question. It’s weird – an interview, a question in an interview, thinking [from this that] I don’t care about the UFC anymore. This is a bit strange. “
