UFC CEO and President Dana White said he told one of the sponsors for his mixed martial arts organization to “go f*** yourself” when directed by the unnamed company to remove a post on his personal social media account that included former President Donald Trump.
“One of our big sponsors called and said, take that down,” White said during an interview with comedian and podcaster Theo Von. “You know what I said? Go f*** yourself.”
“You vote for whoever you want to vote for, and I’ll vote for whoever I want to vote for,” White continued. “That’s how this works. I don’t even care who you’re voting for. It’s none of my f***ing business. F*** you. Don’t ever f***ing call me and tell me who to vote for.”
White — a longtime friend and supporter of Trump — has made numerous public appearances with the former Republican president at UFC events. White even spoke on Trump’s behalf at the 2016 Republican National Convention before Trump won the presidential election.
White and Trump were most recently seen on November 11 at Madison Square Garden for UFC 295, walking alongside Kid Rock and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
If any UFC sponsors object to White’s longstanding friendship with Trump, the UFC owner said such companies would receive the same response.
“I’m at a point now in my life and my career where I want to be with people that I’m aligned with,” White said. “It’s not just about the money. It is about the money because it’s a sponsorship deal, but it’s not just [about the money]. I’m not going to take a bigger offer if it’s not something that I am aligned with and I don’t 100 percent believe in.
“When you do a sponsorship deal with somebody, you have to look deep into who they are and who’s running the company, who’s making the decisions, and are you aligned?”
“It’s like this whole Bud Light deal — people are talking s*** now, sellout and all this,” White said. “Believe me, I’m the furthest f***ing thing from a sellout. Bud Light is the right move for me.”
Last month, UFC announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch, making Bud Light the new official beer of the mixed martial arts organization. The announcement comes after Bud Light faced months of declining sales following its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and the company’s subsequent failed attempts to quell the backlash.
“They’re exactly who I want to be with right now and we are very aligned as far as core values go,” he said, noting the company employs tens of thousands of Americans, partners with U.S. farmers, and works with veterans and first responders.
“Those are you that are hardcore — some of you are fanatical on this s***,” White said. “You guys think you’re all looking for an apology. I’m not going to f***ing apologize to you.”
Ryan Saavedra contributed to this report.