UFC CEO Dana White says he’s not worried about politics driving fans away: “We can all still just get along”
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, a longtime friend and supporter of President Trump, says it’s important to “be authentic and just be yourself,” arguing that political views shouldn’t be a reason for fans to abandon a sport.
“Just be authentic,” he repeated during an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” airing this weekend. “You don’t have to agree with me, and you don’t have to like it, and I don’t have to agree with you, but we can all still just get along. That’s how this is supposed to work.”
While White has taken the stage at Republican National Conventions and held a prominent seat at Mr. Trump’s second inauguration, he said he respects whoever occupies the nation’s highest office.
His decades-long friendship with Mr. Trump, however, has helped pave the way for a historic UFC fight card on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, part of the lead-up to America’s 250th birthday celebration. White confirmed he discussed the event with the president and worked with Ivanka Trump on the details.
“So, the fighters will walk out of the Oval Office to come to the Octagon,” White told “60 Minutes” in September. Mr. Trump’s ties to the UFC stretch back to 2001, when the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City hosted the mixed martial arts promotion.
In August, TKO Group announced that starting in 2026, Paramount would become the exclusive U.S. broadcaster for all UFC events under a 7-year, $7.7 billion deal. Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, is also the parent company of CBS News.
But White says the UFC wasn’t always successful.
In 2001, White and his two close friends — brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, Las Vegas casino heirs — acquired the UFC for $2 million.
“I said, ‘Hey, I think the UFC’s going bankrupt. I think they’re in trouble. I think we should buy it,'” he recalled.
At the time, things were so dire for the UFC that they didn’t even own their website domain, UFC.com. White joked that he spent months negotiating with the owner, “userfriendlycomputer,” to gain control.
“Not only did we not own UFC.com, we didn’t own the rights to the merchandise, the video games, or the library. So then we had to go and negotiate a deal. And they were probably laughing at us when we left,” he added.
Watch more of Luke Burbank’s interview with UFC CEO Dana White on “CBS Sunday Morning” this weekend.
