“More than what the US government is doing” - UFC donates $1 million to Hawaii wildfire relief efforts, wins hearts online

UFC president Dana White has extended a helping hand to the people of Hawaii. The Maui island in the state witnessed the worst wildfire in its history which has reportedly claimed 80 lives so far. Support is pouring in from across the world and the biggest MMA promotion in the world, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, extended $1 million in aid to the state for relief and rebuilding process.

Dana White took to his social media handles to announce the donation that UFC has made. He also announced that they will be releasing the limited edition ‘UFC Loves Hawaii’ t-shirt. Hundred percent of proceeds from the sales of these t-shirts will go towards rebuilding Hawaii. You can watch the video below, courtesy of Dana White’s personal Instagram account:

“My heart goes out to all of you who’ve suffered so much loss. But I want you all to know that you’re not alone. The Hawaiian people embody the warrior spirit like no one else and we stand with you,” Dana White said to address the people of Hawaii.

White’s video message went viral on the internet and it received mostly positive response from netizens. However, some users drew attention to a few things that the Las Vegas-based organization has been criticized for. The UFC president shared the video on Twitter as well. Mentioned below are some of the reactions that caught our attention:

"You won't see Biden doing this," @TheFutureMMA commented.

This is more than what the US government is doing for Hawaii sadly..." @hawXli tweeted in response.

UFC facing a class action lawsuit that may cost it over a billion in damages

As impressive as the $1 million donation is, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been criticized for its draconian monopolizing practices that have contributed to its growth as the biggest MMA promotion. However, they have also been responsible for keeping the fighter pay at unacceptably low levels and stripping them of opportunities to earn more money.

In 2014, a group of MMA then current and ex-UFC fighters took things in their own hands and filed a class-action lawsuit against Zuffa, LLC, the parent company that owned the premier MMA organization. The lawsuit alleged that the Zuffa-owned entity’s contract severely restricted the fighters’ potential to explore opportunities for earning money.

On August 9, 2022, Las Vegas District Court recognized the lawsuit as the ‘bout class’. It means that all the fighters that competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship events from Dec. 16, 2014, to June 30, 2017, have automatically become the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit. The number of fighters in the category is approximately 1200. If the UFC loses the court battle, it may have to pay these fighters damages of $811 million to $1.6 billion.