Top MMA Journo Slams Dana White for Low Quality Islam Makhachev Fight Announcement 

Top MMA journalist criticizes UFC CEO Dana White over recent announcement regarding Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena.

Top MMA Journo Slams Dana White for Low Quality Islam Makhachev Fight Announcement 

Dana White gets slammed for an underwhelming announcement for Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena (via X)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Islam Makhachev’s decision to vacate the lightweight title and chase welterweight gold sent shockwaves across the UFC community. His upcoming welterweight clash with Jack Della Maddalena has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated UFC fights in 2025. Recently, UFC CEO Dana White officially confirmed the event, but fans and experts criticized the announcement for being underwhelming.

White is currently occupied preparing the highly anticipated White House UFC event scheduled for next year on the Independence Day celebrations. For that purpose, he recently traveled to Washington DC to meet Donald Trump, discussing major plans regarding the historic event. Moreover, he is also the lead promoter for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford superfight

While returning to Las Vegas, he announced the Makhachev versus Della Maddelena fight on Instagram Live without any major promotional buildup at all. Following that, top MMA journalist Ariel Helwani publicly criticized the CEO for showing no genuine effort to promote such a fight.

I’m sorry, this stuff still matters. Posters matter. Promos matter. Announcements matter. This is the same company that went apeshit when I would announce things and would hold secret meetings. It’s Dana tired on Instagram live on a private plane after meeting at the White House, reading on a paper….no umph, no excitement, no nothing. 

Ariel Helwani via The Ariel Helwani Show 

Helwani stressed how Della Maddalena versus Makhachev will headline inside the iconic Madison Square Garden with incredibly high stakes. He also highlighted the co-main event between Zhang Weili and Valentina Shevchenko, considered among the biggest fights in women’s MMA.

Apart from that, former welterweight champion Leon Edwards faces Brazilian knockout sensation Carlos Prates on the same card, adding more excitement. White often faces criticism for consistently delivering lackluster UFC Fight Night cards that fail to excite passionate fans every weekend.

The same trend was evident in the recent UFC 318 pay-per-view card, which disappointed audiences with underwhelming fights and poor matchmaking. Unlike those, UFC 322 is genuinely stacked with big names, yet the promotional effort remains surprisingly weak, drawing criticism from many experts.

Dana White and Ariel Helwani’s relationship became worse after 2016

Ariel Helwani was among the biggest MMA reporters, back then frequently conducting controversial interviews with fighters that often stirred industry-wide debates. In 2016, Dana White banned Helwani from UFC events after he leaked several sensitive announcements, angering UFC executives. Before that, the duo had a cordial relationship.

Dana White and Ariel Helwani's controversial relationship
Dana White and Ariel Helwani’s controversial relationship (via X)

The Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt fight announcement caused particular outrage, with White saying, “Some things shouldn’t leak early, it ruins everything.” Eventually, the ban was removed after negotiations, restoring Helwani’s credentials, but the aftermath forever changed UFC-media relations, making access stricter.

The veteran journalist never went back to the UFC events but continued to work with other media houses to cover UFC. While answering a fan’s question, the veteran reporter mentioned that nobody from the UFC helped him mend his relationship with White. 

Like a serious effort? I don’t think so. I think most people think it’s too toxic and would come back to bite them so they stay away from it. Honestly, I don’t lose any sleep over it. It doesn’t affect me what so ever. We stay in our lanes. He has minimized the amount of pot shots, and the frustrating thing was, when I was with ESPN, he would hit me below the belt and I wouldn’t be allowed to respond. Now that I’m gone, he doesn’t hit me. Maybe he thinks I’m irrelevant now or not worth his time. 

Ariel Helwani via The MMA Hour

Helwani worked at ESPN before returning to MMA Fighting, and now runs his own podcast at Yahoo Sports. He regularly invites top MMA superstars, delivering exclusive interviews and critical updates, keeping fans informed about every major development across divisions.

His relationship with White remains salty, rooted in years of conflict and mistrust over leaked announcements. Meanwhile, UFC’s increasing reliance on influencers over pure journalism for viral promotion has drawn frequent criticism from fans, journalists alike.

Also Read: