Dana White addressed questions about his perceived political alignment at the UFC 327 post-bout press conference in Miami on Saturday night, dismissing the notion that his close friendship with President Donald Trump makes him a political figure.
When asked whether there was any hesitancy about hosting a UFC event at the White House and potentially alienating portions of the fan base not aligned with the current administration, White pushed back on the premise entirely.
“I don’t think like that,” White said. “It’s not like I’m out here saying… even if you look at any of my speeches at the Republican convention, they’re never political. I’m never talking about one side or the other side. This guy is a very good friend of mine and that’s it. And he’s a big fan of the sport.”
The comments came on a night where White walked out alongside Trump ahead of the main event, and just weeks before the UFC is set to host a historic card on the White House lawn.
Trump personally intervened in the White House card’s lineup, White revealed, when the president pulled him aside approximately an hour before the Blades vs. Hokit match.
“The president said to me, ‘Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?'” White recalled. “I said, ‘I’ll be back in 5 minutes.’ I went and called Derrick Lewis, said, ‘The president wants to know why you’re not on the White House card.’ And Derrick Lewis said, ‘Politics. Politics kept me off the White House card.’ And I said, ‘You want to compete on the card?’ and he said, ‘I absolutely want to compete on the card. Tell the president thank you.'”
Lewis will now face Hokit on the White House card, a booking that came together further when Hokit, fresh off his heavyweight war with Blades, agreed to the matchup from an ambulance.
White acknowledged that the scale of what the UFC has built carries a surreal quality to it, while maintaining that his relationship with Trump is personal rather than political.
“We deal with world leaders all the time, rulers of countries, presidents, and all these different political figures from around the world,” White said. “It’s pretty crazy what the sport of combat will get you in the middle of.”
When pressed on whether he might need to rein in Hokit’s provocative public persona if the star appears on the White House lawn, White offered a candid response.
“Yeah, probably,” White said. “But then once he gets in the cage, we’ll forget all about it.”
