Boxing wars, political spectacle, fighter backlash, and a shifting media landscape collide for the UFC boss
At his weekly press conferences, Dana White constantly reminds us that he is in “a crazy business.” For most of the last two decades, Dana White has been the man delivering chaos to everyone else.
This March, chaos delivered itself to him.
Within weeks, the UFC president found his expanding combat-sports empire under pressure from multiple fronts: an escalating promotional feud with boxing power brokers, a highly public rebuke from former superstar Ronda Rousey, a last-minute fight cancellation on a historic card, mounting skepticism over the logistics and symbolism of a planned White House mega-event, and renewed scrutiny over fighter pay, which is an issue that refuses to stay buried.
Individually, these developments might have been manageable. Together, they painted the picture of a promoter facing the most turbulent stretch of his modern career.

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.



