UFC without Dana White is not something Chael Sonnen can envision. While there is no news of White stepping down anytime soon, ‘The Bad Guy’ shared his thoughts on what that situation would look like for the UFC and the MMA community.
Sonnen recently sat down for an interview with ‘MMA Fighting’ where he was asked if he would accept the role of a promoter if Dana White were to step away from the UFC.
The UFC veteran replied by showing faith in White, claiming that if the UFC President ever stepped down, it would be very troublesome for MMA in general. He believes it would take 5 people to do Dana White’s job.
“It is something they might recover from. They might find an answer, but it is going to take five people to do what Dana does… I don’t ever want to see him go, I will tell you that. This is my No. 1 sport that I’m a fan of and they got the right guy at the helm.”
Chael Sonnen says the sport of MMA “is going to be in a lot of trouble” if Dana White ever steps down.
“I don’t ever want to see him go, I will tell you that. This is my No. 1 sport that I’m a fan of and they got the right guy at the helm.”
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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 14, 2024
All that said, White doesn’t seem to be going anytime right now. He is more committed than ever to growing the UFC to new arenas across the globe.
The 54-year-old has taken the last few years to get fitter with a new health regimen that makes him feel 20 years younger. And as long as White is around, the UFC will continue with its expansion plans.
Dana White’s big plans for the UFC in 2024
A key reason for the growth of the UFC all over the world has been its ability to put on shows in new cities and countries to expand its audience. In 2024, the UFC will hit another milestone of having an event hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time.
By doing this, UFC is following in the lead of its sister company, WWE, who have yearly PLEs in the kingdom and has achieved great financial benefits for it. Needless to say, it has also improved WWE’s presence in the Middle East.
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Now the UFC PPV in Saudi will see Robert Whittaker headline the event. Whittaker, who was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev will now be taking on Ikram Aliskerov.
But this is not the only big plan Dana White has for the UFC in 2024. The company also aims to put on the first combat sports event at ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas.
