Jones’ avoidance of Aspinall has fueled accusations of “ducking” from fans, especially considering his controversial title defense against a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 rather than facing the interim champ.
Despite past avoidance, White has repeatedly stated that Aspinall is Jones’ next opponent. This potential clash is one of the most anticipated in MMA history, with Aspinall being widely regarded as the Rochester native’s toughest test at heavyweight.
The fight’s realization, however, hinges on negotiations and getting the right figure agreed to.
While appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday, White confirmed that the heavyweight champion will fight sometime “this summer.” This announcement could put to rest earlier retirement speculations that had swirled around Jon Jones.
While a definitive date and opponent are yet to be finalized, UFC International Fight Week (IFW), culminating in UFC 317 on June 28, is a strong possibility. However, rumors of a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria superfight headlining could leave room for Jones to compete later in the summer.
The summer showdown, if it materializes, promises to be a landmark event in Jon Jones’ legendary career. It would also be one of the biggest fights that the UFC could do.
A groundbreaking partnership has been forged between Turki Alalshikh and TKO Group Holdings, heralding the launch of a new boxing promotion.
This boxing venture will be jointly steered by two prominent names in combat sports and entertainment: UFC CEO Dana White and WWE President Nick Khan.
White’s renewed interest in boxing has been a subject of speculation for some time, with reports earlier in 2025 indicating advanced discussions between him and Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. These reports have now been confirmed with the official announcement of the partnership on Wednesay.
Their shared ambition is to establish a new, “premier” platform that will redefine the landscape of professional boxing.
“I am very happy today,” Alalshikh said. “I am very happy today. I give the flag of boxing to the best man who can handle it. We have a tough job now, but I am sure he will be delivering to the people and the fans the magnificent league and get boxing great again.”
The landscape of combat sports is undergoing a significant shift, with Alalshikh playing a pivotal role in funding the effort. His involvement in high-profile boxing events has solidified his presence in the boxing world.
The recent announcement of Saudi Arabia’s funding for a new boxing promotion, spearheaded by TKO, was largely anticipated. TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro had previously hinted at ongoing negotiations, teasing the possibility of two major cards in 2025 and 2026.
Alalshikh’s influence extends beyond traditional boxing. He recently demonstrated a willingness to blend elements of MMA into boxing events with “The Last Crescendo” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This card, held on Feb. 22, featured a stacked lineup of title fights, culminating in a captivating undisputed light heavyweight championship rematch between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
Turki Alalshikh and TKO Group Holdings have announced a multi-year partnership that will see the creation of a brand new boxing promotion, the executive leadership of which will be jointly led by UFC CEO Dana White and WWE President Nick Khan.
White has picked up talk of venturing back into the boxing realm in recent years, and the start of 2025 saw reports of the UFC chief being in advanced talks with Alalshikh — Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority — over a potential new league.
That’s proved to be true, with the official partnership to establish a new promotion being announced Wednesday in a press release.
The deal sees Alalshikh, TKO — founded by Endeavor as part of a merger between WWE and Zuffa LLC, the parent company of UFC — and entertainment conglomerate Sela come together in pursuit of providing the new “premier” platform in the sport of boxing.
“This landmark partnership between industry powerhouses sets the stage for an unparalleled experience for boxers and fans,” Alalshikh said. “Together, we are developing the next generation of talent and delivering world-class events at a time when the sport is primed for further disruption.”
The release outlined that TKO will serve as managing partner, providing day-to-day operational expertise, management, and oversight of the new boxing promotion.
Meanwhile, Sela is credited for delivering international events such as Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles and Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois in London, as well as being the lead sponsor for Newcastle United Football Club.
Though further details will emerge in the coming weeks and months, the recent announcement did reveal some of the major components of the deal.
A highly structured system to develop new talent from around the world, including athlete combines and academies.
Access for all boxers to the UFC Performance Institute, the world’s leading combat sports performance training, research, rehabilitation, and nutrition center.
TKO’s production, media, and promotional expertise, to deliver both in-arena experiences and top-tier, state-of-the-art broadcasts to fans around the world.
A noteworthy UFC name has already volunteered to be a part of a potential relationship between the MMA organization and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with Michael Chandler raising his hand.
The development of a relationship between the U.S. government agency and the UFC would correlate alongside the friendship between US President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White.
UFC 30 and UFC 31, both held during the first half of 2001, were the first UFC events held under Zuffa ownership – which included the introduction of White as then-UFC president. Both events took place at the then Trump Taj Mahal (now Boardwalk Hall) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
White has openly discussed how Trump’s venue helped pave a road to success for the UFC as Zuffa took the organization from the brink of folding to the worldwide juggernaut it is today. White has since re-paid the favor as Trump’s friend and one of his biggest supporters in his time in American politics.
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th U.S. President in November 2016 before losing to Joe Biden four years later. This past November, Trump defeated Kamala Harris to regain the U.S. presidency, becoming the second American president with two separate terms in office.
Chandler, meanwhile, will return to the Octagon on April 12 at UFC 314, taking on Paddy Pimblett in the card’s five-round co-main event.
Per a recent Reuters report, Patel is exploring the idea of enlisting UFC trainers to enhance the martial arts and self-defense skills of American law enforcement agents. The initiative was reportedly outlined during a call this week with FBI field offices.
JUST IN: Reuters reports that FBI chief Kash Patel is considering having the UFC train FBI agents in martial arts
It’s not just Trump — an avid MMA enthusiast and close friend of UFC CEO Dana Whiten — who has a passion for the sport. Patel also appears to be a fan, often sharing UFC-related posts on social media.
According to the report, Patel revealed that Republican podcaster Dan Bongino, whom Trump appointed as the FBI’s deputy director, is also a passionate UFC fan. He shared that Bongino inspired him to try the training himself. Now, the Indian-American lawyer is seriously considering a potential partnership between the FBI and the UFC.
Although the UFC doesn’t directly provide combat training to its contracted fighters, it boasts state-of-the-art Performance Institutes in major cities worldwide, including Las Vegas, Shanghai, and Mexico City, serving as elite hubs for athletic development and recovery.
With Ilia Topuria now no longer the featherweight champion, Dana White has made it clear: the UFC’s cool with double champs, but they better be fighting regularly.
Speaking after UFC Fight Night Seattle, the promotion’s CEO explained that while the UFC doesn’t oppose fighters holding multiple titles simultaneously, they require a significantly higher level of activity from those who attempt it.
Four fighters have held two UFC titles at the same time: Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes.
Following his featherweight title defense last October, Topuria offered to vacate the belt to avoid stalling the division. His next opponent is yet to be determined.
“Unless you think you can defend your title,” White said. “If there’s a guy who thinks he can do it and wants to defend both belts and has accomplished all these great things, I would have no problem with it. But you’re going to be busy.
“…Unless you’ve really wiped out a division, like Jon Jones, who was in light (heavy)weight forever and then moved up to heavyweight. Ilia, I get it. It makes sense. Like I said, who he’s beat and how he beat them, and now he’s tired of making weight and wants to move up to 155? Totally makes sense,” White continued. “But no, I’m definitely not (against it). Weili Zhang, they just asked me. She’s accomplished just about everything you can accomplish in her weight division and I don’t have a problem with it. The philosophy hasn’t changed, it’s just on a case-by-case basis.”
It would seem that Nikolay Veretennikov isn’t getting the kind of heat from the promotion that he is from the fanbase after his actions at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.
This weekend, the Kazakh-born fighter fell to a second straight loss since joining the UFC. That was courtesy of former Bellator title challenger Austin Vanderford, who made a successful debut on just days’ notice.
“The Gentlemen” was on the ascendancy from the start, and his grappling superiority ultimately paved the way for a TKO with ground strikes in the second round at UFC Seattle.
Many were quick to slate Veretennikov, with some even suggesting he was likely to be cut from his contract as a result of his UFC Seattle actions. That, however, doesn’t appear to be a sentiment shared by the higher-ups.
“Listen, yeah, it’s never good when you go over (and push an opponent),” Dana White said during his post-fight press conference. “I don’t know why he went after him. I understand he was upset with the referee. And when you watch that fight, if you look, I get why he was upset. He was blocking a lot of the shots. He was blocking; he was still trying to get out of there.
“If a guy is taking a number of just unanswered shots, and he’s laying there on the ground — he was defending and moving around, and so I understand why he’s upset,” White continued. “But yeah, you know how we are here. He went over and pushed the guy. What should we do?”
In addition to his actions in the aftermath of Saturday’s UFC Seattle result, Veretennikov’s 0-2 Octagon record likely leaves him on thin ice in the UFC.
Should he be granted another opportunity to have his hand raised on MMA’s biggest stage, it would no doubt be a must-win scenario for the 35-year-old.
A controversial eye poke by Song Yadong forced Henry Cejudo to stop fighting after the third round, leading to Song winning by decision in their UFC Seattle main event.
While both fighters hinted at a possible rematch, UFC CEO Dana White has already dismissed the idea, showing no interest despite the unsatisfying ending. Cejudo was unable to see after the eye poke, leading to a doctor’s stoppage.
“Not at all,” White said when asked about a rematch during the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference. “Not even a little bit. I just don’t want to see it again.”
White did not directly criticize Cejudo for being unable to continue but admitted he wasn’t surprised by the outcome. At the time of the stoppage, Song was leading on the judges’ scorecards and appeared to be taking control of the fight.
“Yeah [I knew he wasn’t going to be able to continue],” White said about Cejudo. “I have no idea [how he was feeling]. I’ll let him answer all those questions.
“Song looked good. Only [Cejudo] can answer those questions. I don’t know if he thought, ‘If I stop here, is this a [disqualification], no contest?’ I don’t know what he was thinking, or maybe he can’t see.”
A key debate following the fight was referee Jason Herzog’s decision not to deduct a point from Song for the eye poke, as point deductions in such cases are left to the referee’s discretion.
The UFC CEO backed Herzog’s decision, stating he believed the foul was unintentional.
“If you thought he intentionally poked him in the eye, [you take a point],” White said. “Why would he poke him in the eye? He was doing pretty well. If he was getting his ass whooped, and he poked him in the eye, you could probably make the argument.”
While White praised the UFC Seattle event as a whole, his tone shifted when discussing the main event’s abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion.
“Listen, eye pokes are never good, but they happen a lot,” White said. “And fights do continue after eye pokes. I don’t know, I’d have to look and see how many fights are actually stopped due to an eye poke. Not many.”
With the UFC head honcho firmly against a rematch, it remains to be seen what’s next for both Song and Cejudo following their controversial clash.
Dana White is urging UFC fans to be patient regarding the highly anticipated heavyweight unification bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.
Despite White’s earlier “100 percent guarantee” that the fight would happen, nearly three months have passed since Jones’ victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 and over six months since Aspinall’s last fight — with no official announcement. This has worried some fans.
The only concrete update has been White dismissing reports of a massive boxing-style payday for Jones, which has done little to boost confidence in the fight’s likelihood. Adding to the uncertainty, a recent Instagram Live video showing a seemingly intoxicated Jones rambling about violence further fueled concerns about his mindset.
However, in his own recent Instagram Live session, White assured fans that the fight is still in the works. Reading a comment from a fan suggesting, “We’re not getting Jon vs. Tom ever,” White quickly dismissed the claim.
It’s possible that the fight is already agreed upon and the UFC is simply waiting for the right moment to make a formal announcement — a common tactic for the promotion, which often staggers its fight reveals.
For now, fans will have to trust White’s word that the long-awaited clash between Jones and Aspinall is still on track.
At the start of the UFC 314 main event, Ilia Topuria’s reign as featherweight champion will officially end.
UFC CEO Dana White recently announced several upcoming fights, including significant news regarding the featherweight division. Topuria has decided to relinquish his title to move up to the lightweight division, paving the way for a vacant title fight at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12 between former champion Alexander Volkanovski and rising contender Diego Lopes.
“Topuria has felt like he’s done all he can in that division, and he feels like he’s cemented his legacy, and his body cannot make the weight anymore,” White said during an Instagram Live session. “So Topuria will be moving up to 155 pounds and will be vacating the featherweight title. … As soon as the first punch is thrown in (Volkanovski vs. Lopes), the title is vacated. We will announce what Topuria’s next fight will be when we get it done.”
Ilia Topuria will vacate his undisputed UFC featherweight title with plans to move up to lightweight, Dana White announced.
Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will fight for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12. pic.twitter.com/36OYhxKdzk
Topuria’s move comes after a stellar 2024 campaign in which he captured the featherweight title by knocking out Volkanovski at UFC 298 and then defended it with another knockout victory over Max Holloway at UFC 308. His performances solidified him as one of the UFC’s most dangerous strikers.
Now, he is set on an even more significant challenge — lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
“I really believe that I can beat the current champion, Islam,” Topuria said on the Full Send Podcast. “I really think that. He’s a great champion. You can’t be a world champion by chance; you have to do things great. He’s a beast.
“I don’t like to be a bully and fight with people that I know 100 percent that I’m going to whoop his ass, you know? I like to fight with people that the fans think that it’s going to be very competitive. That kind of expectation I like to create. With Islam, I’m going to have that. Doing the rematch with people that I already fought, I don’t think that I’m going to have the same kind of expectations, you know, for the fans.”
While his next opponent has yet to be announced, Topuria’s move to lightweight will add another intriguing contender to one of the most talent-rich divisions in the UFC.
With a victory over “Starboy,” Mokaev was anticipating a potential title shot. But seemingly owing to his conduct behind the scenes, “The Punisher” was instead let go after fighting out his contract.
The 24-year-old was quick to complain about the decision publicly, even offering to fight for free if it would allow him back into the UFC. His efforts evidently fell on deaf ears, however, and he’ll need to put the work in outside of the Octagon to stake his claim for a new deal.
While the exact nature of the UFC’s decision remains undisclosed, Dana White did imply that “The Punisher” was difficult to work with, a sentiment shared by the matchmakers.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Mokaev reflected on the UFC CEO’s remarks, admitting he’s still baffled by what he did wrong.
“Still today, I don’t understand the real situation,” Mokaev said. “Of course, there was a beef (with Kape) in the hotel and stuff, but I really don’t know. Maybe there’s a miscommunication between my team and UFC.
“I really don’t know. Like, difficult which way?” Mokaev said regarding White’s claim he was not an easy fighter to work with. “Seven fights under two years, four finishes, never pulled out from the fight, never missed weight.”
Post-UFC exit, Mokaev made his return to one of his former organizations, competing at Brave CF 91. After his original opponent withdrew, the Dagestan-born Brit shared the cage with replacement Joevincent So on two days’ notice last December.
“Chain” didn’t last long, falling by way of submission in under two minutes after being dragged down and locked in a D’arce choke.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Mokaev, as well as the specifics of his contractual agreement with Brave CF.
The former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen has defended UFC boss Dana White, claiming Francis Ngannou to be the roadblock in his highly-anticipated heavyweight clash with Jon Jones.
Jones vs Ngannou has easily been one of the most talked-about MMA fights for a couple of years now. However, the deal never reached fruition and differences with White led to the-then UFC heavyweight champion leaving the promotion altogether.
Following his departure from the UFC, “The Predator” explored other opportunities such as boxing fight Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He also signed with the PFL, becoming their heavyweight champion by defeating Renan Ferreira.
Despite no plans to ever return to the UFC, Ngannou believes a superfight with Jones is still not off the table. In a recent interview, he claimed that Turki Alalshikh, the current Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, could intervene and convince White to cross-promote with the PFL for this bout.
Here’s what Sonnen said while putting the blame on the former UFC heavyweight champ for avoiding the Jones fight:
“Poor Francis was in a world title fight, in the fight capital of the world, in the world’s biggest promotion, where he is going to headline. He was not the champion of the world. He wanted to be. He was going to be given that opportunity. Do you understand? Okay. Because it was at that time that it had already been announced by Dana White, this giant obstacle, that when Jon Jones returns to heavyweight, it will be for the belt. So now we don’t, now we don’t only have an obstacle, it doesn’t even fully have to do with Francis. Francis didn’t even have the belt. He was scheduled to fight Stipe, a fight that Francis had already lost. Like, we didn’t know who the champion was going to be, but whoever it was going to be, we were going to stick to the deal and the plan that when Jon comes up, Jon will contest with that person. It’s important that you understand that, because that one detail, in and of itself, that timeline excludes the possibility that Francis was being picked on. It was an open statement that Jon will contend whenever Jon comes back, if he ever comes back, right into a world title fight. That happened to be Francis. And what happened next? Jon came back. So now we have Jon, and we have Francis, and we’re going to get to see Jon versus Francis. People are talking about it. You’re talking about it. Dana’s already announced it’s going to happen.”
Sonnen, being the company-man he is, believes that White cannot be blamed at all for Ngannou and Jones not being able to settle their rivalry inside the Octagon.
Although Jones first fought at heavyweight after over a year of Ngannou’s last UFC outing, “The American Gangster” believes if “The Predator” had not parted ways with the UFC, he would’ve fought “Bones” instead of Ciryl Gane in March 2023.
“But somebody blinked. That somebody, I would view to be the obstacle in this equation. Do you agree? Because that somebody was not Dana White. That somebody was not Jon Jones. As a matter of fact, Dana White went through with the plan exactly as he had previously stated, which is that Jon went right into a title fight. And it’s important that you understand this, because Francis left. So to make believe now that you wanted to do something, when you were in a position to do it, and so now the only thing stopping this fight is Dana White.”
Ngannou is promising his fans worldwide a big comeback to combat sports. In boxing, he definitely can be a part of big fights like the Fury rematch or a possible showdown against the hard-hitting Deontay Wilder. In MMA, he’ll have the option to defend his title against the top heavyweight contenders in the promotion.
Like him or not, Dana White helping sell the UFC at over $4 billion and making it a part of TKO Group Holdings alongside WWE is one of the most remarkable business feats ever. He, along with his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001.
The early 2000s were when when the company’s reputation was at an all-time low, and there were heavy losses due to it being banned from pay-per-view and TV networks.
However, White’s vision regarding this product, which was a far-fetched dream back then, now needs no introduction. UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world by far with a valuation of $11.3 billion in 2025. This has come after it survived several highs and lows for more than three decades.
In an interview with TodayShowAustralia ahead of UFC 312 in Sydney, White looked back at the time when he was close to folding the UFC for good.
“Oh, yeah, in the early days when we were just getting started, there’s no doubt about it, and then when you run a business and stuff happens every day that you don’t see coming and that you got to deal with. Even when we were strong, I mean we were sold in 16 and I want to say that it was probably 14, where like we had a whole year, every main event fell off with an injury and we had to deal with that. But the more bad c**p that gets thrown at you, the better you become.”
In another interview with Forbes, White and Lorenzo Fertitta shared the exact details of the day they nearly sold the UFC. As per Lorenzo, $30 million was sunk into running the business and because there were no returns, they weren’t left with many options.
Talking about it, Lorenzo says:
“Now people look back and they say, Oh! the UFC was overnight success and no, it wasn’t. Like, there were at least five years there, that were very difficult. We got to the point where we were just losing money, year after year, every event we were losing money and at the same time, fighters wanted to make more money, managers wanted more money. Everybody wanted wanted wanted.”
White, who was running the business as the CEO, describes this time similarly:
“So, one day, I was at the office and Lorenzo called me and he’s like, ‘I can’t keep doing this. Me and my brother can’t keep funding this thing. It’s getting bad so I need you to go out and see what you could sell this thing for’. I started making phone calls that day and at the end of the day I called him back and I said, ‘seven or eight million, could probably get seven or eight million for this thing in my opinion’.”
Luckily, for the UFC owners, selling the promotion didn’t feel like the best move at the time and they decided to keep running things for some time. For Lorenzo, it was as simple as this:
“So, literally went home, woke up the next morning, and just felt like it’s not the right thing to do.”
White explained his anxiety at the time as well:
“I thought it was over. And the next day, I’m driving to work and Lorenzo calls me and this is literally quote what he said, ‘f**k it, let’s keep going’.”
The UFC, as we know it, wasn’t sold during its dark ages and thanks to TUF Season 1, the boom finally happened and MMA is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Although the promotion’s monopoly in MMA is often criticized, it’s rise to the top is still inspirational for countless people.
UFC CEO Dana White is pleased to see Dominick Cruz step away from the sport after a long and accomplished career.
Cruz, a former champion in both WEC and UFC, last fought in August 2022, suffering a knockout loss to Marlon Vera. He had planned a farewell fight against Rob Font this month but another serious injury — his second dislocated shoulder in a matter of months — forced him to withdraw and ultimately retire.
The 39-year-old officially announced his retirement in a heartfelt social media post. White shared his thoughts on Cruz’s decision during the UFC 312 post-event press conference.
“I’m blown away that he hung in there as long as he did,” White said. “Who’s been more injured than this guy in his career? It’s fascinating. And the mental drive to just want to keep coming back and trying again and again after so many surgeries and so many injuries — you’ve got to give it to him. But I’m glad that he finally hung it up.”
White also praised Cruz’s transition into broadcasting, emphasizing his value to the sport beyond fighting.
“When you have the type of experience and type of career he’s had, and you can sit in the booth and talk fights, it’s awesome,” White added. “He’ll have a great career after his career.”
Sean Strickland’s loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 was a decisive unanimous decision. During the main event, the former champion endured significant damage, including a broken nose, as blood streamed down his face.
Despite the adversity, though, he persevered and refused to quit.
UFC CEO Dana White praised Strickland’s toughness and mental focus after the fight while also sharing an interesting observation about his demeanor inside the octagon.
“Sean is usually really good at shutting people down, like Izzy (Adesanya),” White told reporters. “When he fought Izzy, Izzy couldn’t get into a rhythm, and Sean was in his face, pressuring him the whole time. It feels like that’s what Dricus did to him.
“I’ll tell you something fascinating that I noticed tonight for the first time. I don’t know why. We’ll see if you notice this. So, Sean Strickland — the way he acts leading up to fights, right? Normally, when you have people who act the way he does, you see signs of it in a fight. But who is more focused, professional, and solid in a fight than he is? When he gets hurt, there’s no sticking out the tongue, no, ‘No, no, that didn’t hurt me.’ The guy stays focused and keeps coming forward.
“There’s never any hint of how he acts outside the octagon when he’s in there. Absolute professional the whole time. It’s actually fascinating. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that with a guy who acts the way he does leading up to fights.”
Strickland’s UFC record has taken a downturn since his middleweight title win in September 2023. He is now 1-2 in his last three fights, with both losses coming in title bouts against Du Plessis.
“I’ve never seen a guy so solid and professional,” White added. “He gets his nose broken, snaps it back into place, and keeps fighting. He gets hit with some nasty shots, but when he does, he doesn’t shake his head or do the goofy things that guys like Mayorga did. You can go into any combat sport, and you’ve seen it. But nobody is more professional during the fight than this guy is. It’s fascinating.”
The UFC 312 pay-per-view recently concluded, and MMA News has you covered with the post-fight press conference in Sydney.
The Qudos Bank Arena played host to Octagon action on tonight, as the mixed martial arts leader continued its PPV schedule for 2025 with a lineup that featured two championships and a host of local names.
Of note were victories for Dricus Du Plessis, Zhang Weili, Jake Matthews and Tallison Teixeira.
And before attention turns to UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues at the Apex next weekend, there remains some business to attend to backstage at UFC 312.
Shortly after the main event’s ending, Dana White will appear in front of the media to reveal the recipients of the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses before answering questions. The victorious fighters from UFC 312 will also take queries from the press in reaction to their performances.
With that said, see below for a live stream of the UFC 312 post-fight press conference via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 1:15 AM ET.
UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world, by far. Because most competitor promotions have turned into dust, it’s almost every MMA fighter’s dream to be a part of the esteemed UFC roaster. Unfortunately, not everyone succeeds in securing such an opportunity, given the promotion only picks the most elite fighters from around the world.
Dana White, the businessman credited for the UFC’s rise, has no biases. He believes that having the desired fighting skills is the only basis on which a fighter can expect to be part of his promotion.
In a recent interview with Mark Bouris leading up to UFC 312 in Australia, the UFC CEO was asked:
“When you go out to put people into the UFC, you got your contender’s series. Are you looking for individuals who are happy to express themselves like as part or just the skill?”
White had a straightforward answer.
“Skills. You can be a deaf-mute, if you’re a bad*** I’m that’s what I’m interested in. I’m interested in how good are you at fighting. If you have a personality like Conor and Ronda and these others, that’s just, you know that’s just a homerun, it doesn’t suck.”
Although White is aware that the UFC is a star-driven business, he still believes that a diverse skillset and potent fighting style make the foundation of a fighter he’d want fighting under his banner.
By keeping skill as an entry barrier, the UFC ensures that the champions in every weight class are always reaching that pinnacle after fighting the best competition available in the world. In contrast, other promotions like PFL and ONE Championship are yet to make such an image among the fans.
The UFC also keeps the competition healthy by constantly signing new names in all their divisions. From picking up the local superstars from regional circuits to poaching established names from the PFL, One Championship, and RIZIN, there are many ways to go about this.
On top of that, of course, the UFC has dedicated shows like Dana White’s Contender Series, Road to UFC, and The Ultimate Fighter, that revolve around handing out contracts to up-and-coming fighters.
Dana White recently reviewed the bone-chilling mentality of Dricus Du Plessis that spread like wildfire in MMA circles. Unlike many fans who found the champion’s quotes cold and intimidating, the UFC President admitted that this mentality is exactly what makes fighters champions in the most competitive MMA organization in the world.
The UFC middleweight champion is all set to defend his title for the second time this Saturday night in a grudge-fueled rematch against former champ Sean Strickland. In an interview with Mark Bouris, the South African made a ruthless admission.
The 31-year-old not only claimed that he’ll be willing to die in the ring to emerge victorious like any other MMA fighter, but he took things further and also confessed to be fine with killing a man in front of his family if needed.
In another interview by Bouris, Dana White had this to say when the host reminded him about Du Plessis’ remarks:
“All of these guys, I mean if you go in and you’re going to stand toe-to-toe for five rounds. And remember, you can punch, kick, knee, elbow, take a shin to the head, all I mean, these people are wired differently than the rest of us. That’s what makes professional fighters and especially in MMA so different as far as humans go.”
White explained that the lack of this killer instinct is why there’s only a few MMA world champions out there. Considering he’s been dealing with such personalities for decades now, he definitely understands them more than an average human.
“There’s this many of them right here, that become world champions and have that type of mindset. They’re not wired like you and I. They’re different, they’re special human beings and yeah, I mean, I think that’s all of their mindset when they go in and fight.”
There is no doubt MMA fighters are modern-day gladiators and “Stillknocks” is clearly a fighter who’s embraced this mindset in the perfect way. He’s calm, composed, and collected outside the Octagon but only wreaks havoc as soon as the time to fight begins.
Unlike the previous outing against Strickland which ended in a razor-close split decision win, Du Plessis aims to resolve the rivalry with a KO victory this time around.
Dana White has reiterated his stance on free speech following Bryce Mitchell’s controversial podcast comments, in which the UFC featherweight praised Adolf Hitler and denied the Holocaust.
Speaking to Piers Morgan, White made it clear that while he finds Mitchell’s views abhorrent, he stands by the principle of free speech.
“What I said was, what he said was disgusting,” White stated. “You have to be an absolute moron to think that Adolf Hitler was a good guy. You look at World War II and how many people were killed, how many civilians were killed because of Adolf Hitler. The fact that he tried to annihilate an entire group of people is disgusting for anybody to speak remotely good about Hitler. But I do believe in free speech, and even though I don’t like what he said, and even though what he said makes me sick, free speech is real. It lives and exists, and we have to protect free speech.”
White emphasized that free speech is a core principle within the UFC, which manages a roster of hundreds of fighters. According to him, free speech cannot be applied selectively.
“I think probably the most important free speech to protect is hate speech,” White said. “Because when a government or a certain person can come out and determine, ‘This is hate speech,’ it’s a very slippery slope, and it’s dangerous, in my opinion. Listen, I’m American. I was born and grew up in America. I believe in the American dream, I believe in free speech, I believe in all these things. You can’t just say it and not live it.”
White’s stance on free speech has come under fire due to past instances of media members being denied credentials to cover events due to their coverage of the promotion.
The UFC CEO made it clear that UFC fighters are not subject to termination, fines, or other forms of punishment based solely on their speech — no matter how offensive it may be.
“You’ve got guys that pop up like Bryce Mitchell that say ignorant, stupid things, and I will exercise my right to free speech and say I don’t agree with what he said,” White said. “But he can say what he wants to say. We don’t have to agree with it or believe in what he says, but he has the right to say it. It’s the disgusting, despicable things like what he said that truly define what free speech is.”
Bryce Mitchell is unlikely to avoid the long-lasting consequences of his anti-Semitic comments, or so predicts a UFC insider.
Mitchell, notorious for regularly making bizarre statements that even the most sensible would reject, coupled with his promotion of numerous conspiracy theories that defy scientific logic, has once again raised eyebrows with his latest remarks.
During the first episode of his freshly launched ArkanSanity Podcast, “Thug Nasty” stunned listeners with a striking rant, oddly praising Adolf Hitler as a “good guy,” and going on to reject the Holocaust as a fabricated event in history.
UFC fighter ‘Bryce Mitchell’ is UNDER FIRE after stating he thinks H*tler was a good guy.. 😳
“He fought for his country, he wanted to purify it by kicking the greedy jews out that were destroying his country that were turning them all into gays” pic.twitter.com/Xzo2TSYElP
UFC CEO Dana White wasted no time responding to Mitchell’s shocking comments during the post-event press conference for Power Slap on Thursday. The UFC head honcho expressed his outrage, calling Mitchell’s statements “probably the worst” viewpoint he had ever come across.
However, despite the UFC refraining from issuing a formal action against Mitchell, Chael Sonnen is convinced that the polarizing fighter will still face significant consequences down the line.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Sonnen predicted that Mitchell would suffer a financial setback for expressing his sympathy toward the Nazi dictator, suggesting that the fallout would likely cost him valuable sponsorships.
“Please understand, there’s a checks and balances for these guys that run their mouth or say something bad or say something that’s really offensive,” Sonnen said. “There’s other things you can do, there’s checks and balances. Mark my words, he’s having calls from whatever sponsors he’s got, he doesn’t have them anymore. In the best case scenario, they all got frozen – in a best case scenario.”
The former UFC fighter-turned-analyst further warned that the 30-year-old Arkansas native that the repercussions would extend beyond the public eye.
“Now, the audience is going to look at him different. Those things don’t go away. To pretend that there’s not a punishment, is not true… There’s criminals out there, but some of them jaywalk, and some of them rob a bank. There’s different levels, and there’s checks and balances for all of them. So please, let’s not pretend that Bryce has got away with something here. He most definitely did not.”
Dana White has made it clear that he does not see the Global Fight League (GFL) as a serious competitor to the UFC empire he has built over the past 24 years.
Since its launch, GFL has signed several former UFC fighters, including Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley, Alexander Gustafsson and Urijah Faber. The promotion is structured as a team-based league, set to begin in April, featuring a regular season, semifinals, and finals. GFL held its draft last Friday.
Following a recent Power Slap event, White was asked for his thoughts on the GFL.
The promotion has touted a 50-50 revenue split with fighters, along with retirement and insurance funds aimed at enhancing financial security and professional well-being. GFL claims to offer unprecedented profit-sharing opportunities to support both male and female athletes throughout their careers.
“I don’t think it’s blowing smoke — I think these guys are blowing real cash,” White said. “These guys are throwing a lot of money around, and I love it. Good for the fighters—it’s good for them. I don’t know anything about their business plan or what the deal is, but no, I don’t consider any combat sports my competition. My competition is the NFL, college football, soccer, big movies that come out on Saturday. I don’t look at other combat sports as competitors.”
Dana White is having none of the nonsense Bryce Mitchell recently spewed.
Mitchell has carved out a unique reputation in the MMA world as a staunch advocate for a variety of conspiracy theories, often voicing such outlandish opinions that even the most rational minds wouldn’t entertain.
This time, however, the UFC featherweight fighter surpassed all bounds of utter absurdity during the debut episode of his ArkanSanity Podcast. Mitchell unleashed a shocking Adolf Hitler diatribe, bizarrely praising the Nazi dictator as a well-meaning figure with noble intentions.
“I really don’t think that he was, because I honestly think that Hitler was a good guy based upon my own research, not my public education indoctrination,” Mitchell said. “I really do think before Hitler got on meth, he was a guy I’d go fishing with. He fought for his country.”
Active UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell:
"I honestly think that Hitler was a good guy"
"He wanted to purify [Germany] by kicking the greedy Jews out that were destroying his country and turning them all into gays … didn't want a bunch of q*eers destroying his nation" https://t.co/PdhZNtcjVLpic.twitter.com/9eiPdm6hC7
During the post-event press conference for Power Slap on Thursday, White castigated Mitchell’s outrageous remarks.
The UFC CEO vehemently blasted the 30-year-old Arkansas native, calling it the most idiotic opinion he had ever encountered.
“I’ve heard a lot of dumb, ignorant sh*t in my day, but this one is probably the worst,” White said. “Second of all, Hitler is one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the earth, and anyone who even tries to take an opposing position is a moron. That’s a problem with the Internet — and social media. You provide a platform for a lot of dumb, ignorant people. We’ve obviously reached out to Bryce and when we read what he said and let him know how we feel about it … we’re beyond disgusted.”
Despite mounting calls from the MMA community to axe out Mitchell from the UFC, White further stated that “Thug Nasty” wouldn’t face any disciplinary action or be released from the promotion.
“That’s what everybody wants to hear about, punishment. It’s free speech, I don’t have to love it, you don’t have to love it… That’s the beautiful thing about this business, for all of you who hate Bryce Mitchell, you get to see him hopefully get his a** whooped on global television. What do you want me to say about it? You know where I am with free speech. We’re disgusted by it.”
The UFC is preparing for a new media rights deal as its blockbuster contract with ESPN, signed in 2018, nears its end.
This agreement followed FOX’s $200 million bid to retain broadcasting rights to the leading mixed martial arts promotion. With the deal set to expire, other networks and streaming platforms will soon have the opportunity to bid for UFC rights, and Netflix is expected to be among the contenders.
Netflix, which recently signed a lucrative deal with WWE for Monday Night Raw and WWE Network rights in several international markets, has remained tight-lipped about its potential interest in the UFC. Speaking on a quarterly financial call, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos declined to comment directly on UFC negotiations but offered insights into the success of their WWE deal.
“Not going to comment anything specifically like the UFC, but WWE is off to a great start,” Sarandos said (h/t MMA Fighting). “The first week we drew about five million views, which is about two times the audience that Monday Night Raw was getting on linear television. Pretty consistent with how we modeled it, how we’d hope to build the audience for the league. We also saw that non-live viewings and the day after the live event grew by 25 percent, mostly outside of the U.S. time zones.”
Sarandos highlighted international markets where the WWE deal has gained traction.
“This is new viewing in the U.K. and Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil in particular, which are really big markets,” he said. “In the U.S., our viewing of Monday Night Raw was as big as it has been in five years. So we’re super thrilled with how that’s going and how that’s coming out.”
The WWE deal, worth $5 billion over 10 years, is an indicator of Netflix’s willingness to invest in sports entertainment. With UFC now operating under the TKO Group Holdings banner — following its financial merger with WWE — negotiations for the UFC’s media rights are expected to be led by TKO President Mark Shapiro and CEO Ari Emanuel.
ESPN retains an exclusive negotiating window for the UFC media rights, which will expire on April 15, 2025. After that, the bidding war for one of the premier properties in combat sports is expected to intensify.
Arman Tsarukyan was originally set to headline UFC 311 in a lightweight title fight against reigning champion Islam Makhachev. However, an injury forced the Armenian to withdraw, costing him a chance to compete for the championship.
Renato Moicano stepped in as a last-minute replacement, but the Brazilian was defeated via first-round submission.
Following the event, UFC CEO Dana White stated that Tsarukyan would now have to work his way back up for another title shot. Tsarukyan himself appeared to agree, as he expressed on social media.
However, not everyone agrees with this assessment.
In his post-fight reaction, UFC commentator Daniel Cormier argued that Tsarukyan still deserves to be next in line for a shot at the title.
“I believe it still needs to be Tsarukyan,” Cormier said. “Because I believe Tsarukyan, even though it’s a rematch and even though we know Charles [Oliveira] is supposed to be next, I still feel like Tsarukyan’s size, his abilities, his skill set, could present the biggest problems for Islam Makhachev.”
Cormier also highlighted Makhachev’s dominance over the lightweight division.
“Look at what he does to the rest [of the contenders],” Cormier said. “He has submitted or finished so many of the best lightweights in the world. Think about this — he finished Oliveira to become the champ. He finished [Alexander] Volkanovski in the rematch. He finished Dustin Poirier in his last title defense and now he finished Renato Moicano.”
Cormier continued to praise Makhachev for accepting a short-notice fight against a surging contender.
“Once again, Islam Makhachev proves to be the best lightweight in the world, submitting Renato Moicano in the very first round with a D’arce choke. I run out of ways to describe who Islam Makhachev is. This guy is a champion in every sense of the word. Not many guys would have accepted a fight for their belt on 24 hours’ notice against a guy that was on a four-fight win streak that you did not train for. He’s the best and he’s proving that time and time again.”
As Tsarukyan works to regain his spot in the title conversation, the debate over who should challenge Makhachev next continues to intensify.
Tom Aspinall, like many fans and fellow fighters, tuned into UFC 311 to watch a man that many believe is at the very top of the sport right now. Islam Makhachev may have undergone a change to his opponent literally the day before fight night but this didn’t affect him one bit.
The lightweight champion still went out there like it was business as usual and submitted Renato Moicano in the first round. It may not have been the Arman Tsarukyan rematch that people have wanted to see for such a long time but it once again showed that when Makhachev says it doesn’t matter who you put him in there with, he means it.
At 33-years old, he’s now the record holder for the most consecutive lightweight title defenses with four and by earning his 15th consecutive win inside the Octagon, he is tied at second with Kamaru Usman for the longest winning streak in UFC history with one spot to go until he draws level with Anderson Silva.
Another Makhachev win meant more people making the case for why he is the pound-for-pound number one fighter in the sport today. Whilst some may argue that the accomplishments of Jon Jones speak for themselves, others might state that “Bones” hasn’t been overly active or facing the same level of opposition.
It was only a matter of time before Dana White was once again asked about this topic having been very vocal in the past that it’s Jones with no room for debate. After seeing the UFC boss change his answer, Aspinall commented on this during a video on his YouTube channel.
“Now we’re seeing Dana White coming out and saying that he’s the pound-for-pound No. 1 in the world, Islam Makhachev,” Aspinall said. “As we all know, to me, pound-for-pound is a lot of made-up stuff. I don’t look into that. But it’s just funny that he’s kind of jumped ship now from Jon Jones to Islam.”
Regardless of whether or not Makhachev was able to convince anyone else that he is the best fighter in the sport today, Aspinall was happy to see him go out there and get the win. In many ways, it felt like a fairly routine outing for the 155-pound king but that doesn’t bother the Brit one bit.
“Islam did what he was supposed to do: went out there, fought whoever was put in front of him, which is what a champion is supposed to do. Fought a guy that the UFC told him to fight, got the win, and he’s levels above anybody else in that division. He’s going to hold the belt for a long, long time, and that is something that I’m very excited for because I’m a massive Islam Makhachev fan.”
