Dana White couldn’t maintain his reputation as one of Las Vegas’s better gamblers after crashing out of the $10 million Baccarat tournament at the MGM Grand this weekend. Just yesterday, the UFC president shared the news that he was participating in the tournament, flexing a $1000 bill and the invitation from the MGM hotel.
This will come as a disappointment for the UFC president after having won over $26 million just last year from gambling alone. He was looking to add to that tally this year by winning this high-roller tournament but it wasn’t to be.
He posted a video on Instagram following his loss and used the opportunity to get some promotional goodwill flowing his way.
White revealed that although he hadn’t decided how to do it yet, he was going to give away the $1000 bill from 1934 and an ounce and a half of gold. He received both these things in the invitation to the event.
“I played in the @mgmgrand $10 Million Dollar Baccarat Tourney. I’m out!!! I’m a loser but you’re NOT. 2 of you will win these BAD ASS gifts. Stay Tuned”, the UFC boss said. Unfortunately, as generous as it was, it still wasn’t the announcement fans were hoping to hear.
“Another day gone by with no Aspinall vs jones announcement” was a common sentiment.
“I got an idea, play tournament then come eat at the food truck“, said another, hoping the UFC boss would once again gift a gig worker with a huge wad of cash. This fan was then checked in replies by a woman who joked about White already being out of money to spend.
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) April 6, 2025
But they didn’t need to worry. White’s net worth is estimated to be half a billion dollars, so he can afford a few slip-ups every once in a while.
White’s most memorable loss
While on the Lex Fridman podcast last year, the UFC boss was asked about his biggest wins and losses in gambling.
And although he spoke about winning $12 million off Caesar’s Palace throughout one summer, there is one major loss that still haunts him to this day.
The UFC president was at The Rio with his friends, and after a night of drinking and partying, he decided to go and gamble. He left the group at the end of an eventful night, knowing he had lost money, but the figure he had in mind and the actual figure he had lost were very different.
The UFC president went to sleep thinking he had lost $80k.
However, the next day when the host at the Rio called him and asked him if he’s coming back, the UFC president, being his ever so cocky self, asked him not to get too comfortable with his $80k because he was coming back to win it.
The phone went dead silent on the other end, till the host spoke, “Dana. You lost $3 million last night.”
But White couldn’t believe it because he only had a credit line of $1.5 million, so how did he lose $3 million? The host had an explanation for that too, “He goes, ‘Yeah, you made us call the GM of the hotel, and you started calling him ‘a f****** p****,’ and I went, ‘Yeah, no, that sounds like something I would do.’”
Since then, he has vowed never to drink or at least get drunk while he is gambling.
