UFC CEO Dana White is no longer involved with fighter contracts, and he’s quite happy about it.
While the public widely views White as the end-all and be-all of UFC, he isn’t nearly as hands-on with certain aspects as he once was. White insists it’s all by his choice, especially when it comes to the negotiating table with athletes.
Speaking to Kevin Harvick for SPEED on FOX, White reflected on a time where he enjoyed being a part of fighter negotiations.
“We were a small business, and as we started to grow, the relationships that I had with the Chuck Liddells and the Matt Hugheses and guys like that from the early days right up to [Conor] McGregor, Ronda Rousey, ‘Cowboy’ [Donald Cerrone], and the list goes on and on. We were talking about ‘Cowboy’ a little bit off-camera. He was always doing something crazy. As soon as he got his check, he was blowing it. He was buying boats and jet skis and all kinds of toys, but these guys, whenever anything would go wrong in their personal life, we were the first phone call they would make.”
The UFC has grown to new heights after being acquired by Endeavor, now known as TKO Group, and scoring a $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount. As the years have gone on, White is thrilled to no longer be involved with UFC fighter contracts.
“Obviously, it’s grown,” White continued. “I have completely removed myself from the negotiating part of fighter contracts. I got to a point where, ‘This isn’t fun anymore, man.’ I’m lucky that I’m at a point in my life and in my career where I can just deal with the fun stuff that I like to do.”
White is gearing up for UFC’s next big pay-per-view event on Saturday. UFC 327 will be held inside the Kaseya Center in Miami. A vacant light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg is set to headline.
Do you think UFC has gotten better or worse since Dana White has been more hands-off with certain aspects of the promotion? Join in on the conversation below.