The Fight for Dana White’s Social and Cultural Revolution
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
This was the quote echoed throughout the world in honor of the great Mohammed Ali, a boxer who took the world by storm through his inspiring performances and social message of black pride and resistance. Ali and many other fighters throughout the illustrious history of combat sports have proven that their disciplines not only provide a source of entertainment to fans across the world but also provide platforms for athletes to express their opinions and initiate social change. Though the excitement behind combat sports decreased after the golden era of Mohammad Ali, the field is having a resurgence pioneered by one individual.
Recently, businessman and entrepreneur Dana White has revolutionized the field of combat sports, providing fighters with historically unmatched opportunities to market themselves and spread their message to the world. Additionally, his treatment of fighters monetarily and otherwise is unlike ever before. By leveraging the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) during our digital era, White has managed to dominate social media and create household names, role models, and activists.
Dana White started off as an unknown boxing coach and is now a pioneer of mixed martial arts and fighter rights. Though it has been a long journey for White, he has recently showcased mastery of the usage of his unique business model, fighters’ free speech, and digital media to capture eyes across the world.
“One of my big philosophies is that fighting is the sport that crosses all borders. I don't care what color you are, what country you come from, or what language you speak, fighting is in our DNA. We get it and we like it.” (White).
Dana White presents fighting as an ultimate unifier between people across the world, and this sentiment has been echoed throughout his recent business ventures. For example, on February 24, 2024, Dana White took a UFC event to Mexico, where he featured fights that included famous Mexican fighters. White does this often and hosts events around the world allowing the UFC to expand its influence across borders. He has created stars across the globe by doing this, with the UFC representing fighters from 78 different countries or territories. Dana White has brought UFC events to locations such as London, Rio De Janeiro, Abu Dhabi, and Australia. Through cultural integration, fans across the world are immersed in these locations’ unique cultures as they form connections and fanbases for the competing/representing fighters.
Recently, the UFC featherweight world champion Ilia Topuria made headlines by presenting his championship belt at the Bernabeu, a famous football stadium in Madrid, Spain. Here, he gained massive popularity and was honored by stars such as Jude Bellingham, and a crowd full of over 70,000 fans. Ilia Topuria, whom Dana White has given a platform to, is establishing massive influence in Spain and further spreading the UFC and combat sports across the globe. To further elevate this fame, White plans on bringing a UFC event to Spain in the near future.
To accompany its massive popularity and growing global influence, Dana White uses an intelligent digital business model. White recognizes patterns in digital media consumption and therefore has capitalized on digital distribution channels. For instance, he offers a service called UFC Fight Pass, a subscription-based streaming service that offers a catalog of fights and live events. It can be streamed using the likes of Apple TV and Roku. Additionally, Dana White has revolutionized a mode of distribution known as “pay-per-view”, which consistently delivers live, high-quality events including 5 fights. These events often include stars who successfully attract millions of fans worldwide.
White has also secured massive partnerships with companies such as Venum, Prime, and Kudo Snacks, further allowing his company to reach the eyes of more people. Another growing demographic in today's society is gamers. In October of 2023, Dana White released the video game “UFC 5” to take advantage of this side of the market. UFC 5 managed to blow the market away, peaking in seventh place on the UK’s physical sales charts, amongst the likes of Mario Kart and Minecraft. (Ravi 1)
Apart from his ability to distribute and market the UFC, Dana White is a modern pioneer of free speech. With the globally growing popularity of the UFC, White stays true to his belief that fighters should be free to express themselves. As Dana White has turned the niche sport of mixed martial arts into a global phenomenon, he has massively expanded the fighter demographic as well. Recently, a fighter named Jeff Molina won a split decision victory in a fight night event in Las Vegas while wearing an LGBTQ symbol to raise money for the LGBTQIA+ Center of Southern Nevada. Molina additionally came out as bisexual, providing a demographic of a male in the LGBTQIA+ community. This revelation was groundbreaking, as this community has been extremely underrepresented throughout combat sports history. However, with Dana White’s encouragement of every sort of demographic, Molina felt the opportunity to express and represent his sexuality.
In a historically male-dominated sport, White strives for an equal platform for female fighters. One of these female athletes, Amanda Nunes has also become a pioneer for LGBTQIA+ representation in combat sports– similar to Jeff Molina for men. Nunes is considered the greatest women's fighter of all time, having been a dominant champion for five years. Due to her global platform, she has been a symbol of pride, even receiving a reward from EQCA, or Equality California, which is a major non-profit civil rights organization. In Nunes’ tweet announcing this, she thanked the UFC for the platform it has provided her, demonstrating White’s success in initiating social activism.
From an outside lens, cage fighting is often dismissed as a barbaric brawl. However, as a fan myself, I know that it is a sophisticated sport rich in culture. Ironically, the seemingly mindless sport cultivates so much social discourse and awareness. This must be accredited to Dana White, who has made it his goal to give fighters the chance to truly represent their ideas without censorship. Recently, White was asked a question regarding free speech by a reporter at a press conference for an upcoming event, and White responded, “It’s ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want” (White). Throughout his career, Dana White has held this viewpoint despite occasional controversy and backlash.
Of course, White’s philosophy is a double-edged sword, as some fighters can spread negative and possibly hateful messages. However, this trade-off prevents the formation of echo chambers and encourages conflicting viewpoints that generate meaningful, insightful discussions.
During a press conference leading up to his fight, UFC star Tyron Woodley made it a point to utter the phrase “Black Lives Matter” every time he answered a question. This bold idea was, of course, welcomed by Dana White and it made the topic inevitably heard by the global combat sports community. In an ESPN article published before this press conference, Tyron Woodley stated that he felt a “huge social responsibility” to take this opportunity and be an activist instead of “just punch” people. (Roth 1).
In the world of sports, in which players and fighters are often times censored and punished for saying certain things, Dana White’s policy of free speech stands out. This is why it is worth mentioning and praising. Along with his ability to take the sports world by storm on social media and during local events, Dana White’s influence on the landscape of combat sports and sports, in general, cannot be understated. He has formulated an efficient way to turn local fighters into stars and captivate the eyes of millions of viewers around the world. He continues to innovate, expanding his influence in the digital marketplace through video games and media consumption services. His story is the quintessential story of rags to riches. As BKFC (a rival fighting competition) founder David Feldman said, “he took a negative $50 million project and turned into $12 billion. That’s incredible.” (Shelton 1)
Works Cited
Pattle, Alex. “UFC Fighter Responds to Backlash after Sporting LGBT+ Symbol to Celebrate Pride
Month.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 June 2022, www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-jeff-molina-shorts-pride-lgbt-b2094739.html.
Gaydos, Ryan. “Dana White Destroys Reporter over ‘leash’ Question
Following Sean Strickland Tirade.” Fox Sports, FOX SPORTS Australia, 22 Jan. 2024, www.foxsports.com.au/ufc/dana-white-destroys-reporter-over-leash-question-following-sean-strickland-tirade/news-story/41a6774fd431210596271900ec78df86.
Roth, Madeline. “UFC Star Works ‘Black Lives Matter’ into Every Answer at Las Vegas Press
Conference.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 18 Sept. 2020, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/ufc-star-works-black-lives-matter-into-every-answer-at-las-vegas-press-conference-b475134.html.
Shelton, Cole. “BKFC Founder David Feldman Praises UFC CEO Dana White after Recent
Meeting: ‘He’s a Real Guy and I like Him.’” BJPenn.Com, 28 Feb. 2024, www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/dana-white/bkfc-founder-david-feldman-praises-ufc-ceo-dana-white-after-recent-meeting-hes-a-real-guy-and-i-like-him/.
Sinha, Ravi. “EA Sports UFC 5 Enters UK Physical Sales Charts in Seventh Place.”
GamingBolt, GamingBolt, 6 Nov. 2023, gamingbolt.com/ea-sports-ufc-5-enters-uk-physical-sales-charts-in-seventh-place.
Brown, Larry. “Dana White Says UFC Will Go Mainstream, I’m Skeptical.” Larry Brown
Sports, 13 Aug. 2011, larrybrownsports.com/mma/dana-white-says-ufc-will-go-mainstream-im-skeptical/82307.
