Dana White Reveals Having a Broken Relationship with UFC Middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva

Dana White transformed the UFC into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse that dominates combat sports today. Throughout that rise, White watched fighters from different eras come and go inside the promotion. While some stars exited happily, others left carrying resentment toward the company, including Anderson Silva. White recently explained why tensions with ‘The Spider’ still remain unresolved.

Silva became a global UFC superstar through his dominance and a 16-fight winning streak, which remains the longest in the promotion. He defended the middleweight title ten consecutive times while producing several iconic knockout victories over the likes of Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin, and Vitor Belfort. His creative style and finishes helped attract international audiences during the UFC’s major expansion years.

Silva left the UFC in 2020 after a stoppage loss against Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 181. The former middleweight champion was 45 when the promotion declined to offer him another contract. His final UFC years sparked debates about aging fighters continuing in the sport. Those years later became central to White’s recent comments, which may be seen as exaggerated given the long gap since Silva’s departure.

You don’t know it’s over until you actually get in there, and you can’t pull the trigger the way you used to, and then you get beat. Anderson Silva, he was always a unique individual to deal with, but he lost like eight or nine or ten in a row, something like that. That guy won’t talk to me to this day because I said it’s over, and he was in his forties. His thing was like, ‘Who are you to tell me that I’m done doing the thing I love to do?’ I was like, ‘You can still fight, but you just can’t do it here.’

Dana White via Rolling Stone

Dana White talks Anderson Silva: That guy won't talk to me to this day because I said it's over and he was in his 40s.pic.twitter.com/xcOZaLc0cf

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 26, 2026

The strain between Silva and White remained public following Silva’s UFC exit in 2020. Silva later criticized the way the UFC treated fighters and suggested that legends like him received little respect afterward. White responded that he had never understood the Brazilian veteran’s complaints about the company. The UFC boss also insisted he never viewed Silva negatively despite their long-running tensions.

In the final stages of Silva’s UFC career, his performances declined after years of dominance at middleweight. A serious leg injury against Chris Weidman in 2013 affected his mobility and long-term competitiveness. He also suffered losses to top fighters, including Israel Adesanya, Jared Cannonier, and Michael Bisping. A failed drug test, overturning his win over Nick Diaz, further impacted his late run.

After leaving the UFC, ‘The Spider’ pursued boxing and defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz. He later lost to Jake Paul via unanimous decision in their 2022 bout. Silva rebounded with a victory over Tyron Woodley in December 2025. He also criticized Dana White’s stance on changes to boxing regulations, noting that tensions between them remain, even as his legacy is tied to the UFC’s global rise.

Dana White reveals why he refused to get on the ground during the recent Hilton hotel scare

Chaos erupted during the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., after an armed suspect breached security near the ballroom entrance. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and UFC CEO Dana White were among the attendees at the incident. Authorities stated that gunfire caused panic across the crowded venue as guests rushed for safety.

Dana White attended the event alongside his wife, Anne White, as panic quickly spread throughout the ballroom. While many guests reportedly hid beneath their tables, the UFC CEO appeared unusually calm during the chaos. White later described the incident as one of the most thrilling experiences of his life. The UFC boss recently explained what unfolded once Secret Service agents stormed the venue.

I watched them pull Vance and Trump off the stage, and then literally the entire stage is guys with guns with lights pointed at us. They’re saying get in the ground, get down first of all, I’m never a get down kind of guy, that’s never gonna happen. If there’s something going on here, I’ve got bad news for my family, it’s gonna be a closed casket cause I’m not getting shot in the back, lying on the ground.

Dana White via The New Yorker

Dana white says he refused to get on the ground when secret service stormed in with guns drawn

“All of the sudden you start hearing just crashing like plates and dishes and glasses, turn around and what looks like 50 secret service guys kicking tables over running on the top… pic.twitter.com/KiDrYrQP4p

— Third (@thirdmetax) May 27, 2026

Dana White’s presence at the event highlighted his longtime relationship with Donald Trump outside the UFC world. Trump attended multiple UFC events while publicly supporting White and the company over the years. White also backed the US President during several presidential campaigns and Republican National Convention events. Their friendship has regularly placed the UFC CEO at political events.

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