5 fighters who Dana White would love to crown as UFC champions

#4. Derrick Lewis – UFC heavyweight champion

Derrick Lewis might be Dana White's ideal UFC heavyweight champion.

On the face of it, Francis Ngannou should be the ideal UFC heavyweight champion. He carries himself like a superstar, looks like the baddest man on the planet, and dishes out brutal knockouts like few other fighters.

However, since winning his title from Stipe Miocic earlier this year, he has caused Dana White nothing but trouble. From refusals to fight on certain dates, to heading to social media to demand more money from the UFC, it’s safe to say that ‘The Predator’ is no longer in White’s good books.

So who would be the UFC president’s ideal heavyweight champion? We should probably look no further than Derrick Lewis. Lewis is an entertaining knockout artist in his own right, holding the record for the most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history. He’s also a highly entertaining fighter to watch.

More to the point, ‘The Black Beast’ is also a highly entertaining character, as his comical interviews have endeared him to UFC fans. He’s also loved by the UFC’s brass, thanks to his willingness to fight any opponent without complaining, usually without mentioning his salary, too.

Dana White did attempt to crown Lewis as his heavyweight champion earlier this year, only for him to fall to Ciryl Gane. However, there’s every chance ‘The Black Beast’ might be given another opportunity in the future.

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#3. Kevin Holland – UFC middleweight champion

Kevin Holland is probably beloved by Dana White after defending the UFC's pay scale.

Israel Adesanya is undoubtedly one of the UFC’s most entertaining and popular champions right now. The UFC middleweight kingpin has never stepped out of the promotion’s good books, either.

However, if Adesanya were not in the picture, the fighter Dana White would probably most like to crown as his 185lb champion would be Kevin Holland. ‘The Trailblazer’ fought at a rate largely unheard of in 2020, making five appearances in the octagon, often on late notice. Holland didn’t care who his opponent was, and reeled off an incredible five straight wins in the process.

That run put him in line for some big fights in 2021. Although he fell against both Marvin Vettori and Derek Brunson, it’s highly likely Holland will be pushed up the card again in the near future.

One thing almost certainly helping the cause of ‘The Trailblazer’ is his attitude towards the UFC and its pay structure. While other fighters have often criticized it, Holland recently defended his pay to the hilt. He suggested that fighters simply need to take a leaf out of his book and fight more often in order to earn more.

That kind of statement would definitely be music to the ears of Dana White, making ‘The Trailblazer’ the UFC president’s ideal middleweight champion.