Let’s start off by saying this —
UFC President Dana White has been integral to the growth of the promotion. The risks he took to see out his vision of a world where mixed martial arts is mainstream is one of the reasons why the UFC is as popular as it is today. However, his ego, favoritism towards certain fighters and his decline of the drive to maintain integrity within the promotion has handicapped the growth of the UFC.
Belal Muhammad, the current welterweight champion, is one of White’s least favorite fighters on the roster. Although his skill is impeccable, his style of fighting, which relies heavily on wrestling, can be seen as boring to casual viewers. Therefore, White kept him away from a title shot even though he was the most deserving in the division.
Instead the title shot was given to Colby Covington, who was coming off of a win versus 37-year-old Jorge Masvidal. Muhammad was unbeaten in his last 10 fights, and coming off a win against elite fighter, Gilbert Burns. The same Burns who demolished Masvidal only a month before he matched up with Muhammad.
“Obviously there’s a reason for it, but don’t sit there and make up lies … he’s 2-2 in his last four fights.” Muhammad said about White giving Covington a title shot before him. “He didn’t earn it, he didn’t deserve it.”
After Muhammad had the best performance of his career and won the title, in the post-fight press conference White said the fight “Wasn’t a barn burner.” Does that sound like someone interested in hyping up their new champion?
On the other hand, White’s favoritism shines when it comes to Sean O’Malley. Starting his UFC career on White’s contender series, O’Malley has since gone on to become Bantamweight champion. Since the decline of Conor McGregor, White has been looking for a new face of the UFC, and he has found it in O’Malley. O’Malley has a very marketable personality and an entertaining fighting style that creates a perfect recipe for a superstar.
White saw O’Malley’s potential from the very beginning, pushing him as much as he could. When he eventually got his title shot against Aljamain Sterling, he was at a significant advantage. Sterling was just three months removed from a five-round war with Henry Cejudo, where he suffered injuries to both his legs and his bicep.
Despite his injuries, Sterling felt pressure from White and the organization to take the fight quickly against O’Malley. White had openly criticized Sterling for wanting more time to recover, suggesting that Sterling was trying to delay the fight. This pressure likely influenced Sterling’s decision to go ahead with the bout, even though he wasn’t fully healed.
O’Malley knocked him out in the second round.
White’s loyalty lies with money. Whomever he thinks will bring in the most revenue, will be pushed to the front.
Jon Jones versus Stipe Miocic. The arguably greatest fighter of all time versus the greatest heavyweight of all time. This highly anticipated fight was booked for UFC 295 in November 2023. However, a month prior, Jones tore his pec clean off the bone. With Jones unable to fight and the UFC wanting to keep the division moving, they booked Tom Aspinall vs Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title.
Aspinall knocked out Pavloich in the first round, ultimately setting up a title unification bout between him and Jones. After all that would make the most sense. Right?
White disagrees.
Riding high on his superstar Jones, White has continually insisted that Jones and Miocic is the matchup to make. Jones beating Miocic at this point does little for his legacy. Miocic hasn’t fought in four years and doesn’t have a win against anyone on the active roster.
Under White’s leadership, watching the UFC has become simply unaffordable. Pay-per-views have become increasingly expensive. As of 2024, a standard UFC PPV costs $79.99 in the U.S., a significant jump from a few years ago where the price sat at $49.99. Not to mention before even purchasing the fights in the first place, you need a subscription to ESPN+. These price hikes have caused frustration among fans and ultimately price out viewers. Many casual and die-hard fans alike then turn to illegal stream sites to combat the rising costs.
White’s solution to end piracy is to “start fucking prosecuting people for stealing.” This quote symbolizes White’s angry and blunt personality, while also being a byproduct of his insecure and fragile ego. Prosecuting millions of fans is also impractical and doesn’t adress the route cause of why they’re pirating in the first place.
The UFC had 14 pay-per-view events in 2023. At $80 a piece, and adding the additional $110 a year for ESPN+, a UFC fan would have to spend just over $1200 a year to see every event. These costs simply price out fans. A lot more people would buy a fight if it was $40.
But White doesn’t think that way. His fragile ego drives most of the company’s decisions. He’s not interested in helping grow the brand as a whole.
White cut rising flyweight star Muhamad Mokaev, who is 7-0 in the UFC and mauls his opponents with his wrestling. In a weak flyweight division with no real next big star, Mokaev, who was ranked No. 6, was destined for a title shot. However when White discovered that Mokaev recived an offer from rival MMA promotion, the PFL, he cut him from the promotion.
White’s ego has prioritized profit and sacrificed the integrity of the promotion, screwing over anyone who he may see as a monetary liability.
