Dana White News
Weili Zhang could make next title defense in Asia, says Dana White
Adam Martin - January 11, 2021
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang could make her next title defense in Asia, according to UFC president Dana White. Zhang is one of the top female fighters in the sports and she is looking to make a grand return to the Octagon in 2021, following a “Fight of the Year” performance against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March 2020. Zhang was not able to fight again following the COVID-19 pandemic, but she is hoping to fight again in the next few months. While most assumed she would make her next title defense in Las Vegas or on Fight Island, there is now a chance she could fight in Asia instead.
Jon Jones vs. Israel Adesanya should happen at light heavyweight, says Dana White
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021
UFC President Dana White believes a potential fight between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya should happen in the light heavyweight division, not at heavyweight. Jones and Adesanya are two of the biggest stars in MMA at present, and White has made no secret of his interest in a fight between them. That being said, it’s unclear what weight class this potential superfight would occur in.
Dana White reflects on being "in a really bad place" with Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021
UFC President Dana White says he’s repaired his relationship with Conor McGregor after being in “a bad place” with the Irishman last year. White and McGregor have butted heads several times over the years, most recently in mid-2020, when the Irish MMA star released some of his DMs with the UFC boss. Unsurprisingly, White was upset that what he believed was a private conversation was leaked to the public, particularly because he and McGregor were speaking about aging UFC veteran Diego Sanchez.
UFC files applications with the NSAC to hold four events in February
Harry Kettle - January 11, 2021
The UFC has filed applications with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to promote four proposed events in the month of February. The UFC has been in an ongoing cycle over the course of the last nine months between hosting events in Nevada and hosting events in Abu Dhabi – outside of their brief stint in Florida, of course.
Dana White will "press" Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight again, likes Conor McGregor rematch
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he will “press” Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight again, and he likes the Conor McGregor rematch. Nurmagomedov is still the UFC lightweight champion but his status as an active fighter is up in the air following his quasi-retirement. After submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport. However, White has said that he will talk to Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi in an effort to convince him to return for one more fight and try and reach the perfect 30-0 mark.
Dana White confirms winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier in line for lightweight title shot
Adam Martin - January 7, 2021
Dana White confirmed the UFC 257 main event winner between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will be in line for a title lightweight shot. The UFC lightweight title is currently held by Khabib Nurmagomedov, though the champion is currently in a quasi-retirement and may or may not fight again. The Russian will meet with White on Fight Island to try and hash out a deal. He could agree to defend his belt again, vacate it, or the UFC could create an interim belt. There are many question marks about the belt, but we now know who at least one half of the next lightweight title bout will be.
UFC contributes one million dollars towards brain research
Adam Martin - January 7, 2021
The UFC announced on Thursday that it has contributed a one million dollar donation towards brain research with the Cleveland Clinic. The one million dollar donation is set to help fund brain studies over the next five years with the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. According to ESPN.com, the Cleveland Clinic has been working on the in-depth Professional Athletes Brain Health Study for a decade, and the UFC has been right there with them every step of the way. According to the report, the UFC has donated over two million dollars over three rounds of support.
Logan Paul pleads with Dana White: "Take me back, I'm not Jake"
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021
YouTube star turned boxer Logan Paul has a message for Dana White, the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Logan is currently slated for a high profile exhibition bout with undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. At the same time, his brother Jake has also been making headlines in the combat world, having recently knocked out former NBA star Nate Robinson, and called out a host of MMA stars, most notably former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor.
Dana White: "Rankings are very important" to UFC matchmaking
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021
UFC President Dana White says the promotion’s controversial official rankings are very important to its matchmaking strategy. The UFC rankings have been the subject of controversy at many points since they were introduced. Most notably, it was revealed in 2019 that many of the media members that vote on the UFC rankings do not even regularly cover the sport.
UFC president Dana White shares his thoughts on open scoring in MMA
Harry Kettle - January 6, 2021
UFC president Dana White has given his thoughts on the constant debate surrounding the potential introduction of open scoring in mixed martial arts. The idea behind open scoring is that everyone would be well aware of how the judges are scoring the fight as the contest goes on, whether it be a three round affair or a five round main event.
Dana White reveals former UFC champion Shogun Rua has retired
Cole Shelton - January 5, 2021
Shogun Rua is officially retired, according to Dana White. After Rua lost to Paul Craig at UFC 255, many thought that would be it for the Brazilian MMA legend but there was no formal retirement. Now, however, on an ESPN+ livestream, Dana White has revealed Rua has retired.
Justin Gaethje will "probably" fight Charles Oliveira next, according to Dana White
Cole Shelton - January 5, 2021
Justin Gaethje will most likely be fighting Charles Oliveira next, according to UFC president Dana White. Gaethje does not have his next fight booked and hinted at waiting to fight the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2. However, that is no longer the case, as White revealed the hope is Gaethje fights Oliveira next.
Henry Cejudo teases Dana White with photo of Deiveson Figueiredo: "This is your fighter of the year?"
Chris Taylor - January 2, 2021
Former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo continues to take jabs at Dana White over the promotions current flyweight title holder Deiveson Figueiredo. Despite retiring from mixed martial arts immediately following his TKO victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, Cejudo (16-2 MMA) has been relentless in his callouts of fellow fighters.
Dana White: I didn't expect Greg Hardy to last this long in the UFC
Adam Martin - December 31, 2020
UFC president Dana White says he didn’t expect heavyweight Greg Hardy to last as long in the UFC as he has following the Contender Series. After an up-and-down NFL career that saw Hardy make it to the Pro Bowl in 2013 only to leave the league two years later following a domestic violence incident, Hardy made the transition to mixed martial arts and won three fights between 2017 and 2018. After winning two fights by knockout on the Contender Series and another one in Xtreme Fight Night, White took a shot on Hardy and signed him despite being very green with just three pro fights.
Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington "the fight we want," says Dana White
Tom Taylor - December 31, 2020
UFC President Dana White says the UFC is still keen to book a welterweight fight between top-5 contenders Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington in 2021. Covington and Masvidal, the No. 1 and 4-ranked welterweight contenders respectively, have been linked to a potential fight for months, but as of yet, the matchup has not come to fruition.
Dana White names his top three fighters to watch for in 2021
Adam Martin - December 30, 2020
UFC president Dana White named his top three fighters to watch for in 2021, pointing out Khamzat Chimaev, Kevin Holland, and Joaquin Buckley. White was a guest on the “SHOUT! Buffalo Podcast” on Wednesday and he was asked to point out his top three fighters to look forward to heading into the new year. The UFC president named three of the hottest fighters on the UFC roster right now in Chimaev, Holland, and Buckley as his top three fighters to watch for in 2021.
Dana White: "In a perfect world" we make Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor 2 after UFC 257
Cole Shelton - December 30, 2020
Dana White is still holding out hope he can book the rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. At UFC 229, Nurmagomedov and McGregor had their highly-anticipated fight with Nurmagomedov winning by fourth-round submission. However, it was a massive fight, and it broke the UFC’s record for the most pay-per-views of all-time.
UFC pay-per-view prices set to go up again in 2021
Adam Martin - December 30, 2020
The price of purchasing a UFC pay-per-view card is about to get more costly for fans in 2021 as Disney and ESPN are raising their PPV prices. According to a report from Variety, Disney and ESPN plan on increasing the price of a UFC PPV from their current price of $64.99 (U.S. dollars) to $69.99 in 2021, starting with UFC 257: McGregor vs. Poirier 2. This follows on the heels of a price increase in 2018 when the price of a PPV went up from $59.99 to $64.99. Additionally, the cost of subscribing to a year of ESPN+ is set to rise from $49.99 to $59.99 in 2021. In the United States, fans must order the PPV cards through ESPN+, making it a necessity.