The 2020s have been a remarkable decade for the UFC and its CEO, Dana White. 2025 is gearing up to be a big year for the sports mogul and the organization he built into a global powerhouse.
By pioneering live events under strict lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, White catapulted the UFC into the mainstream at a time when live sports were in short supply. Refusing to lie down led to a series of sold-out shows in the following years.
Now White is standing with newly elected President Donald Trump, and in a surprising twist, Mark Zuckerberg has appointed White as director at Meta – much to the bewilderment of tech enthusiasts and fight fans. Fortunately, Zuckerberg has acted on his decision.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg cites Dana White's “legendary” business acumen as reason for hiring Meta
During The Joe Rogan Experience, Zuckerberg clarified his intentions to hire White. What helped his process was that he didn't have to worry about being fired by his current board at Meta.
“I'm not afraid of losing my job because I control the majority of the votes and the company,” Zuckerberg revealed. “So I can actually use our board to have the smartest people I can get around me and work on these problems. … I just want, like the best entrepreneurs, people who have created different things.”
Zuckerberg cited White's “legendary” rags-to-riches story with the UFC as a key reason for hiring him.
“Dana [took the UFC] of being seen as something quite marginal – I mean John McCain tried to ban it – I think [the UFC] and Formula 1 are the two fastest growing sports in the world. … What Dana has done with the UFC is one of the most legendary business stories, and the brand is beloved.
“[…] He has a strong backbone, the conversation I had with him around my joining our board was: 'Okay, we have a lot of governments and people around the world putting a lot of pressure on our company, we need some strong people who are going to help us and advise us on how to deal with some of these situations. ''
How Zuckerberg-White could help the UFC
No one could have expected White to become director of Meta, but the move did not come entirely out of the blue. The UFC CEO and Zuckerberg already worked together in 2024 to tackle some important challenges within the UFC.
White suggested using Meta AI to revise the UFC rankings following his dismay over the media panel's decision to leave Jon Jones as the No. 2 pound-for-pound talent after UFC 309.
White had told TNT Sports a month earlier that he had spoken to Zuckerberg about implementing AI in the rankings.
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