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Dana White is the president of the UFC and serves as the face of the promotion. The 53-year old has emerged as an anti-woke figure in the world of MMA and was recently targeted by a former UFC fighter for his alleged hypocrisy.
Mike Jackson fought four times for the UFC. He is best known for handing CM Punk the latter's second MMA loss. He recently took to Twitter to disprove White's anti-woke claims by posting a picture of himself in an official pro-LGBTQ+ UFC shirt.
Jackson tweeted:
"Shout out to dana white for his "woke" ufc tee"
During a recent FOX News interview, Dana White spoke candidly about the promotion's efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic before claiming that they don't engage in anything "woke." White said:
"Obviously the fact that we figured out how to go through COVID. We were first to fill stadiums again, you know when all the COVID bans were being lifted. It grew our business, you know, I don't know, like 70% or something like that cause we were the only thing to watch. And yes, we don't do anything woke over here at all."
His contradictory statements have led to significant fan backlash, with many pointing out the inclusion of official Pride Month shorts from the UFC.
Dana White's history of anti-woke sentiments
Despite the contradictory nature of Dana White's statements, the UFC president has a history of adopting anti-woke stances for one reason or another. Prior to the ascension of UFC women's bantamweight legend Ronda Rousey, the 53-year old was adamantly against the idea of women fighting in the UFC.
Additionally, he has consistently refused to reel in the excessively personal insults used by the likes of Conor McGregor and Colby Covington whenever the pair target their opponents' families, personal lives, religions, etc. This is despite the fact that the UFC has a code of conduct.
Unfortunately, it is rarely enforced. The UFC president even went against the grain by signing hyper-controversial athlete Greg Hardy to the promotion despite the heavyweight's history of domestic violence.
