‘When He Leaves UFC Dies’: Loyal Fans Rally Behind Dana White After Shocking Petition Calls for His Exit

Dana White gets his fair share of criticism for fighter pay, favoritism, among other things, but even his most ardent critics agree that without him, MMA wouldn’t be the global phenomenon it is today. And as such, with recent speculations about the bossman hanging up his proverbial gloves, things are getting a bit tense, to say the least.

White has come under criticism for poor PPV cards and mismanagement of his champions, especially in light of heavyweight king Jon Jones’ having defended his title only once in over 800 days.

In response, fans started a petition to get Jones to vacate his title, but it has since turned into a petition to get White to step down from his role.

However, having the UFC president step down is not just being seen as a tremendous loss; but it also opens the door for a lot of other significant figures to leave the organization. Keeping this in mind, some have rallied behind the boss on social media.

“Ufc fan will never realise how much Dana has done and how great he is until he is gone, sad,” one fan said, while another came up with a prediction of what would happen if the head honcho left – “When Dana leaves, the UFC dies.”

 

This fan credited White for ensuring the UFC didn’t turn into a ‘cherry-picking’ contest like boxing, “Dana is the only reason this sport ain’t terrible like boxing.”

 The petition had one fan in splits on what to do, “I dont want Dana gone but Im so damn annoyed by him that I feel like signing it just to make a point.”

It should be noted that should White leave the MMA leader, UFC would lose one of its biggest icons and personalities.

Consequences of White stepping down

Despite publicly criticizing boxing for years for a lack of proper matchmaking, White has allowed the same issues to crop up right under his nose. Prominent fighters like Islam Makahchev and Jones have influenced matchmaking at the highest level, often refusing to sign the most lucrative fights for the promotion.

Makhachev continued to avoid Ilia Topuria for months, and has now announced a welterweight showdown with champion Jack Della Maddalena, and Jones has simply refused to unify his title.

However, both fighters continue to receive public support from the UFC boss, leading to an extremely frustrated fan base. That said, the bossman has earned a significant amount of goodwill in his more than 2-decade-long career in the promotion.

For instance, UFC was practically the only sport on American TV during the pandemic. While it led to empty arenas, the events also meant that no employee was let go during COVID.

It is because of instances like this that he has gained the confidence and loyalty of his employees.

So, if he leaves the UFC, there is a high chance that his core team, including the likes of Hunter Campbell, will follow him wherever he goes. Moreover, the voice of the UFC, Joe Rogan will no longer be a part of the UFC.

In a podcast episode with the former featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria, Rogan revealed an interesting clause in his contract: “If Dana White quits, I might quit, but that’s it. It’s actually in my contract, if he leaves, I leave. So, in my contract, if he leaves, I don’t have to stay.”

Topuria then asked Rogan why he would take such a decision, to which he responded, “I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for him. Yeah, he’s my friend, he talked me into doing it.” Rogan asserted.