Dana White dangerously close to going against own principles: “Freedom of speech”

MMA is a business, and the UFC sits right at the top of what has been a booming industry for quite some time, thanks to Dana White. One of the biggest aspects of his mindset and ethos as a business leader is “Freedom of Speech.” You just need to look at who he endorsed to get into the White House last year and how much the first amendment means to him.

When the UFC was first getting big, their marketing efforts would massively involve members of the press and online media. White and his team were more than happy to speak to and promote the shows through the press (especially when TUF season 1). Moreover, the last massive boom of MMA (rise of Conor McGregor) came just before YouTubers and Influencers seemingly took over the online landscape.

Getting media access to a UFC event would mean that you could ask the questions that your readership were looking for you to ask, be that to management, fighters or coaches. The problem now, and actually has been the issue for quite some time, is that “media” might just get replaced with something else, and does that mean the UFC is selectively choosing Freedom of Speech?

UFC ‘Banned’ List and Alternative Media

If you have ever made the fundamental ‘mistake’ of asking Dana White a question he didn’t want to answer, then you would probably find yourself on the banned list. You just need to look at the likes of Ariel Helwani and Luke Thomas, who were removed from the press box for a brief period of time. These ‘bans’ have now been rescinded, but it’s worth pointing out that there were in place at one time.

There’s a type of journalist who writes what is known in the industry as “client journalism,” often being paid to largely ignore the negatives of a company and instead focus on the massive upside. I’m not saying that is what is happening here, because I think most people in ‘traditional’ media are going to be phased out of the UFC press box at some point in the near future.

Dana White has always spoken about the power influencers hold in the current internet age. UFC’s collaboration with Nina Drama, Adin Ross, and IShowSpeed among others showcase the company and fighters in a positive light. No controversial questions or questions that bring trouble to the UFC will be asked when fighters or Dana White collab with these influencers.

What this means for ‘free speech’

If you remove the people who are questioning you and demanding answers to something you might not want to talk about, surely that’s a good thing? If you’re the UFC, then of course it is. I don’t want to disparage Rumble streamers as a collective, but do I think they’re going to be sat in a post-show press conference and asking Dana White the most difficult questions? No, I don’t.

What really confirms White’s desire to get rid of the media from UFC events is evident from his recent interview with Forbes, where he noted the following:

I see a day, not too long from here, when the whole media section is gone. You know, there is no media section. We bring media in and we can host them up in the suites or whatever, but it’s gonna be all about the influencers.

Dana White via Forbes

There have been so many more ‘influencers’ and ‘streamers’ appearing at UFC events in recent times. I don’t blame the company for doing this at all, because having names like Theo Von, really close friendship with The Nelk Boys et al is a great way to showcase your product to an audience that may well not know much about you.

Theo Von on YouTube alone has over 3.67 million subscribers, and YouTube isn’t even where the biggest amount of views for content creators happen now (see TikTok, Instagram etc). So I get it, I really do.

The Condemnation of Australian Media

Dana White had an absolutely scathing condemnation of the Australian media as part of the UFC 312 post-fight presser. Although he has made it pretty clear in the past that he doesn’t like certain members of the press, this was just a generalized rip.

The reason for the comments stemmed from an Australian newspaper writing about Sean Strickland before his title fight at UFC 312. The writer made it pretty clear that he wanted to see Strickland get knocked out either inside the cage or outside of it. It is a statement that incites violence based on disagreeing with the ideologies of the former middleweight champion.

Learning about this news article, Dana White went on a noteworthy rant, destroying the Australian media as a “bunch of p*ssies.” He admitted that the media has freedom of speech, but found it stunning that the journalist got offended based on Strickland’s controversial comments. It showcased yet again the strained relationship between Dana White and the media.

Final Point on “Free Speech”

Going back to White’s scathing claims about Australian media, he would later claim that he is a “big believer” in free speech. I did have an issue with White seemingly cutting out certain media members in the past (largely because of what they said to and of the ‘champion of freedom of speech’), but at that point, it seemed to only really be about the sport of MMA.

There is a noticeable amount of journalists asking the tough questions, but no UFC executive wants to engage with those questions. Dana White has his favorites in the media as well, who asks easy questions to maintain favoritism. At that point, the role of media asking tough questions diminishes. In such case, is the UFC CEO trying to change the sport to uphold favorite voices and silence the opposition?

Related: Dana White’s wife: Who is Anne White and how did she meet the UFC CEO?