UFC CEO Dana White pushes back on idea he’s being ‘overtly political’

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White shrugged off concerns on “CBS News Sunday Morning” that he was being too “overly political” because of his friendship with President Donald Trump.

White spoke with CBS News correspondent Luke Burbank about a variety of topics, including his longtime support of Trump since he purchased the UFC decades ago. This led to White supporting Trump during the 2024 presidential election and eventually speaking at the Republican National Convention.

Burbank asked White if he believed he should aim to be less “overtly political” out of concern that it might alienate potential fans.

“Especially with existing sports leagues, I think the idea would be to try not to be overtly political because then you could lose half your fan base or really try to get stuck in the middle,” Burbank said.

“How about being original and being yourself?” White responded. “How about this? Just be original. You don’t have to agree with me, you don’t have to like it, I don’t have to agree with you, but we can all still get along. So that’s the way it’s supposed to work.”

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Burbank reported that White was responsible for pushing Trump to talk about younger “manosphere” podcasts; some have suggested that this helped the president win the election.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White speaks onstage during day four of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Donald Trump is a manly man. I knew the younger generation could relate to Donald Trump,” White said.

White similarly brushed off concerns that a UFC fight scheduled for January on the White House lawn to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary might be seen as too political.

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“So, other than the incident at the White House, I don’t know how political this is going to be,” White said.

He added, “Listen, if you look back through history, I think [former President] George Bush was a big baseball fan. [former President Barack] Obama was an NBA fan and Trump was a UFC fan. “I don’t think any of these guys, as fans, make any sport too political.”

UFC President and CEO Dana White is planning a major UFC event at the White House on President Donald Trump’s birthday to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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The fight is scheduled for June 14, which also happens to be Trump’s birthday.

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