UFC President Dana White has been an amazing leader since coming to the promotion in 2001. He has helped make MMA a popular sport worldwide that was once considered illegal in half the country. However, White has upset a lot of people over the years of doing business. Most of the criticism came from his lies, which happen on a regular basis when it comes to the UFC. In this article, we will have a look at some of the biggest lies ever told by Dana White.
#10 Jones wants $30 Million
The current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, and Dana White have been going back and forth about the former’s salary. Jones noted that he would like to be paid more than the current paycheck, especially when he is moving up to heavyweight for a “Superfight” . However, White rejected Jones’ fight at Heavyweight, saying that he demanded high numbers. The president said “Bones” wanted $30 million to fight Francis Ngannou, a claim that was immediately denied by Jones and his management.
#9 Funky doesn’t want to fight in the UFC
Dana’s attempt to discredit Ben Askren in 2013 was easily refuted by his lies. After Askren’s departure from Bellator, he was one of the hottest free agents around the globe. “Funky” requested his release specifically to enter the UFC. Don’t know if it was his fighting style or trash talk against Dana, but the UFC president immediately announced that Askren was not entering the UFC because he did not want to fight here. Dana made this decision based on the fact that they refused to even offer him a contract, portraying that it was somehow Askren’s fault.
#8 UFC bouts on Island
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, White and the UFC began trying to find alternative venues for the fights. He immediately teased that the UFC was possibly going to buy an island, and stage the fight there. Instead, they ultimately decided to have the fight in Abu Dhabi and used promotional material indicating that the fights would take place in a cage on the beach. That didn’t happen either. They built a venue to hold the bouts, but for some reason, an octagon was built outside it. Additionally, it was revealed by Ari Emmanuel that the UFC did not pay for Fight Island at all, instead Abu Dhabi paid them a large sum to hold the fight there.
#7 Jeremy Stephens arrest
In 2012, the day before Jeremy Stephens was scheduled to fight at UFC on FX 5, he was arrested for a charge related to an assault the year before. Despite Stephens being literally arrested on the morning of the show, the UFC and White denied that his fight against Edwards was over until the show went live. The UFC didn’t cancel the bout until they went live, despite everyone knowing that the fight was called off because Stephens was still in jail.
#6 Strikeforce Will Continue
When the UFC’s biggest rival, Strikeforce, was purchased in 2011, everyone knew what was going to happen. The UFC’s strategy over the years has always been to buy out their competition and shut them down. Despite this, White announced that business would remain as usual and that Zuffa would continue to run both Strikeforce and the UFC. Eventually, they were shut down after less than two years.
#5 Women will never fight in the UFC
In 2011, Strikeforce was paving the way for women’s fighting, with stars like Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg finding huge success in the promotion, but White had a different opinion. When he was asked about women coming into the UFC, Dana said that women would never actually fight in the promotion. They arrived less than two years later.
#4 No Flyweight Division for Women
It appears that Dana White loves lying about women. In 2017, the UFC announced via press release that the promotion would introduce a women’s flyweight division and that the first champion would be crowned at The Ultimate Fighter Season 26. A few hours later, White said that the press release had been sent in error and that the split was no longer happening. He reversed the course a week later.
#3 Reebok Deal for fighters
In 2015, when the UFC brought Reebok as their outfitter for fighters, it seemed like the fighters pay would definitely move up. While sponsorships for fighters were a big thing, that will no longer be the case. White announced that the Reebok deal will be great for the fighters and will pay them more in the long run. However, that didn’t happen. Despite White’s claim that the entire $70 million raised from the deal would go to the fighters, less than $40 million was actually awarded.
#2 No McGregor vs. Mayweather
When White began to shoot down a potential Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match in 2016, it wasn’t a surprise at all. While even saying the fight was like “supporting Tom Brady”. However, once again, White was off. The fight happened a few months after White’s comments about playing for the New England Patriots.
#1 UFC is not for Sale
When the UFC was eventually sold by Zuffa to WME-IMG in 2016, it was no surprise. There have been rumors of a potential sale for months, and the sale was expected to take place following the promotion’s historic UFC 200 event. Despite this, White denied that there were any sales talks throughout. White also denied on the night of UFC 200 that the company was going to be sold, which it was, in less than 48 hours.
Also Read:- Top 5 Most Controversial Judges Decisions in UFC History
