The UFC head honcho, Dana White, has weathered multiple storms over the years of working with the promotion. From fighter conflicts to contract disputes, the UFC CEO has been there, done that. But which was the hardest obstacle to maneuver? White once opened up about that.

In a 2024 YouTube video with the internet personality Jesse James West, White walked him through his training routine, 'superhuman protocol'. Ending the workout on a high note with a cold plunge, that's when West floated the question.

To Dana, the answer was simple: "I'd say going through Covid because there were so many just negative pieces of s--- forces working against us."

The pandemic had sent shockwaves through the global economy, forcing people to downsize and quickly adapt to the mayhem. Despite managing a multi-billion-dollar organization, even White felt the pinch.

However, the fight promotion blazed a trail by refusing to fire even a single employee.

"Some of my people have been with me for 20 years. The scariest time in my people's lives, I'm going to lay them off? This is a battleship. We go to war every day, and we either all go down together, or we don't go on at all," White cleared the air.

Mark his words, the UFC boss kept the company in full swing even when the sporting industry was neck-deep in water.

How Dana White’s UFC Kept Hitting Its Stride

The effects of the Covid pandemic were immediate and devastating, forcing the MMA promotion to cancel six scheduled events. Even its parent company, Endeavor, had companywide layoffs and pay cuts to accommodate the crisis.

Despite the walls closing in on Dana White on all sides, he managed to string together showstopping events throughout the pandemic.

UFC 249 on May 9 was the first event since the cage was emptied, featuring an interim lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Two more events in the same venue, Jacksonville, Florida, kicked off on May 13 and 16.

What would have felt counterintuitive, to White, was the only obvious choice. "All the people that are with me are with me, and I always take care of my people."

Fighters even received compensation for their March and April bouts despite being unable to compete.

Dana White's crisis response sent a clear message to the world: the UFC was a team, and the debacle was just another bout. Was it the right decision to make? Or a financial disaster on the verge? Comment below.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil