UFC CEO Dana White recently sat down for an interview with TIME, and his views on masculinity became one of the central talking points.
The conversation shifted toward the manosphere while White was showing off items from his collection at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas. The space includes a real samurai from the early 1600s, a saber-tooth tiger skull, a Tom Brady refractor card, and a framed photo from his son’s first fight at age 15.
“There’s a lot of manosphere s**t here,” White joked.
But when the discussion moved beyond decor and into identity, White made his position clear.
“I consider myself a man. That’s what I consider myself,” he said. “And there’s nothing I hate worse than men that don’t act like men. So if that puts me in the manosphere, then I guess I’m in.”
White explained that his definition of masculinity is closely tied to responsibility, particularly in marriage and fatherhood. When asked about men publicly discussing mental health struggles, he argued that men still have an obligation to remain emotionally steady for their families.
“I think that when you’re a man there are certain obligations you have as a man, especially if you’re a man that’s going to get married and start a family,” White said.
He added that while seeking help privately is understandable, he believes men should maintain a strong image within the household.
“If you’re the type of person that needs to get therapy or do whatever, then you do that on your own and you do it, but you stay this strong figure inside the family,” he said.
White then questioned the impact emotional vulnerability could have on loved ones.
“If you start breaking down mentally, what does that do to your kids when they see that?” he asked. “What does that do to your wife when she sees it?”
Calling it “the cross we bear as men and as fathers and as the head of the family,” White framed emotional endurance as part of a man’s duty.
When asked directly whether publicly discussing mental health struggles is a sign of weakness, White did not hesitate.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s definitely a sign of weakness.”
White continued by describing the world as inherently competitive and unforgiving.
“Life’s not fair. You’re right. Life’s not fair,” he said. “But there are people every day when you go to work or you go out in the real world that are looking to take what you have, take your position, and the world isn’t a nice place.”
“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, man,” White added. “There’s some bad days out there and as a man and as the head of your family, you’re the guy that has to deal with all of it.”
