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UFC President Dana White is a polarizing figure in mixed martial arts. A brash and outspoken personality, White has never been shy about expressing his sincere thoughts about others, including fighters who compete under the UFC banner.
The resulting consequence of this line of behavior is Dana White feuding with a fair number of people in the MMA world.
Whether they're his own fighters or MMA journalists who pose hard-hitting questions, no one is spared from White's wrath. Despite the UFC President's reputation for being ill-tempered, there are those with whom he seems to get along well.
For example, White has a well-known friendship with the likes of Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, and Forrest Griffin, two of whom he gave jobs to in the promotion after the end of their fighting careers.
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This list details 5 UFC fighters, active and otherwise, who Dana White likes based on various factors.
#5. Donald Cerrone
It's no secret that the UFC, and by extension Dana White himself, appreciates fighters who are willing to fight frequently and even step in on short-notice to replace injured fighters.
During his peak, Donald Cerrone was one of the most reliable fighters on the entire UFC roster. Cerrone fought as often as five times per year, and between 2013 and 2016, he fought at least four times every year.
'Cowboy' is noted for his quick turnarounds as well, having once fought Benson Henderson 15 days after defeating Myles Jury at UFC 182. This endeared him to Dana White, who treated Cerrone well, allowing him to fight well past his prime only due to 'Cowboy's insistence despite the 7-fight winless streak he was on prior to his retirement.
The UFC has released fighters for far less, so Cerrone's ability to remain with the promotion despite the massive downward spiral his career took was a testament to how well-liked he was by the UFC brass.
Furthermore, White made several attempts to honor Cerrone's desire to retire after a fight with Joe Lauzon before mutual injuries derailed the booking of the bout. Upon hearing of 'Cowboy's retirement at UFC 276, White was complimentary and genuine.
#4. Holly Holm
While Dana White has not always been complimentary of Holly Holm, having hit out at her manager in the past and even encouraging 'The Preacher's Daughter' to consider retirement, his treatment of the former UFC women's bantamweight champion reflects a fair amount of appreciation. It is best seen in how many title fights Holm has been awarded.
While her initial title fight against Ronda Rousey was deserved, Dana White's decision to award Holm subsequent chances at capturing the title came into question. After losing her bantamweight championship to Miesha Tate, Holm lost her subsequent bout to Valentina Shevchenko before being scheduled to face Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural UFC women's featherweight title. This was despite her twp-fight losing streak.
Holm lost the matchup but upon winning one bout on her return to bantamweight, she was awarded a second title shot at the featherweight championship despite only having one win. This win she managed outside of the featherweight division no less. Unfortunately, 'The Preacher's Daughter' lost her second title fight against Cris Cyborg before again earning another title shot after just one victory.
This time, Holm defeated Megan Anderson at featherweight, yet inexplicably earned a title fight against Amanda Nunes at bantamweight. Based on three undeserved title fights, it is no secret that Holm is well-liked by Dana White and upper management.
This despite the fact that the UFC President is notorious for denying more deserving fighters their title shots simply due to personal dislike.
#3. Brock Lesnar
In the past, Brock Lesnar was the biggest star in UFC history, headlining what was, at the time, the most successful pay-per-view in the promotion's history: UFC 100. Due to the amount of financial success Lesnar brought into the UFC, Dana White developed a strong appreciation for the former UFC heavyweight champion.
In only his third fight with the promotion, Lesnar was booked into a title fight with Frank Mir at the aforementioned UFC 100 event.
Furthermore, despite the manner in which Lesnar abruptly retired from the sport, something White typically disapproves of as evidenced by his anger over Georges St-Pierre's impromptu sabbatical, White still welcomed Lesnar back with open arms for UFC 200. According to Mark Hunt, the UFC and Dana White even allegedly hid the positive results of Lesnar's pre-fight drug tests.
Following the former champion's retirement, he was involved in a promotional post-fight confrontation with Daniel Cormier years later at UFC 226, with White's intention being to book the retired Lesnar ahead of every other heavyweight contender in a title fight with 'DC'.
While Lesnar ultimately stayed retired, White later expressed his willingness to book a lucrative matchup between Jon Jones and 'The Beast' if Lesnar requested it.
Only two other fighters off the back of retirement and a winless streak would have received the level of preferential treatment that Lesnar did.
#2. Ronda Rousey
Before the introduction of women's MMA in the UFC, Dana White was adamant that women would never fight in the UFC. That sentiment changed in the most dramatic of ways upon White's discovery of Ronda Rousey. Not long ago, the UFC President described his decision to sign 'Rowdy' as the best decision he's ever made.
Considering that White convinced the Fertitta brothers to purchase the UFC, his statement ranks as a significant compliment. Additionally, after Rousey's devastating loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, Dana White claims to have gone backstage to hug the former women's bantamweight champion for 45 minutes while expressing how much he loved her and that no matter what she did, she'd always have his support.
To the surprise of many, they were not merely hollow words as Dana White was in attendance in the nosebleed section for Rousey's WWE debut at WrestleMania 34, sitting through the entire match despite his horrible seats.
#1. Conor McGregor
There is no fighter, alive or dead, that Dana White loves more than Conor McGregor. The most successful UFC fighter in the promotion's history in terms of pay-per-view buys he has generated, the Irishman has been the recipient of favorable treatment from the UFC for years.
White is on record telling his other fighters to silence their incessant calls for money fights because, simply put, they are not Conor McGregor.
Not only has Dana White expressed an immutable willingness to slot 'The Notorious' into the lightweight title picture no matter how undeserving, he also exerted a tremendous amount of effort in convincing the Irishman's greatest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, to reconsider his retirement simply to schedule an extremely lucrative rematch involving the pair.
It is only a rematch that McGregor is interested in given that Nurmagomedov sees no competitive merit in facing the Irishman for a second time. Additionally, in a move that stunned the MMA world and has not been repeated since, Dana White willingly co-promoted a boxing match with Showtime only due to McGregor's interest in boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Even before McGregor's ascension to superstardom, videos of White giving the Irishman a ride in his Ferrari made the rounds on the internet. Additionally, after describing his fighter's pre-UFC 223 bus attack as one of the most disgusting things he'd ever witnessed, Dana White subsequently used the incident as promotional footage for the Irishman's first and only clash with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
