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Mixed Martial Arts is still at a stage of infancy and many of the progress the sport has made, mostly through the powerhouse that is the UFC, is thanks to the business practices of Dana White and the Fertitta Brothers. Over the course of time, many people have had various problems with Dana, though many of them warranted, and he seems to carry a bulls-eye on his back at every event held by the UFC. For the purposes of this article, I would like to stay away from arguments pertaining to Dana’s business practices and simply focus on one question: Does the way Dana White communicates hurt the UFC, as well as the entire sport of MMA? 

You can find the man’s opinion everywhere and he is never running away from confrontation. In fact, he enjoys it and he welcomes it. He swears, ridicules some of his top fighters (see: Tito Ortiz), and simply does not carry himself like a president of a multi-million dollar corporation. However, is this a bad thing? Are we not watching MMA because it is different and you never know what to expect? Is it such a bad thing to have the excitement of the UFC carry on outside of the octagon where the fans never know what Dana might say next?

Many people take offense to the fact that Dana only wants the UFC to grow and fails to be making an effort for the sport in general to take major steps forward. I don’t recall the commissioner of the NFL being overly enthusiastic about the XFL of AFL when they were starting up? Of course Dana White wants the UFC to grow and for the competition to remain in his rear-view mirror. As business people, we all do. Take yourself for instance and think for a second. If you are a car salesman for BMW and someone mentions they may go and buy a Honda because it is cheaper and can still get them from point A to point B, would you turn around and tell them that is a good decision and that Honda has a lot to offer that BMW can not? Of course you wouldn’t. You would explain that BMW offers superior handling and comfort and that by choosing Honda, you aren’t really driving the best car possible. 

The fact that Dana handles himself as he does definitely turns some people off of the sport, although I would argue that these people are not watching the UFC anyways. Those who do watch the UFC may tune in more regularly to press conferences and events to see what Dana White might say next.

I realize that there are many arguments to be made against the points that I have raised above, but it is my opinion that Dana is not hurting the UFC by the way he communicates with the media, his fighters, or the fans. Dana White is not David Stern or Roger Goodell, but then again, the UFC is not the NBA or the NFL. Isn’t that why we love it so much? Aside from the business aspect of the UFC, is there really someone else you would rather have on the podium after a huge UFC event?