Dana White has never cared about being loved. For years, he has leaned into the role by being outspoken, aggressive, and unapologetic, especially when discussing fighter pay. That image has only solidified recently, with the UFC antitrust lawsuit bringing old accusations back to the forefront and reinforcing the notion that the head honcho is the sport’s ultimate villain.

However, as fans argue in the comments section and headlines revolve around compensation, a totally different version of Dana White emerges from those who’ve been in the room with him. And it’s not executives or lawyers we’re talking about, but people who have seen how he behaves when there is nothing to gain publicly.

Insiders paint a completely different picture of Dana White

That contrast came into focus through comments from Martin Kristo, who, in a recent interview with the ‘Money Buys Happiness’ YouTube channel, described his experience working around UFC events tied to Power Slap. Kristo stated that after travel was done, everything else was covered by the UFC CEO. “Once I landed there, they took care of everything, bro. Hotel, food, stays—everything. All they wanted was us to share Power Slap.”

What happened next surprised him even further. At the afterparty, one half of the TwinPrankss TikTok duo claims Dana White began personally handing out a thousand dollars to the influencers who were part of the event. “Dana’s there gambling, wipes the casino for a million and a half, gets up, starts giving the influencers money,” he said. “Give him a thousand; give me a thousand. My boys? A thousand each.”

This generous move helped Kristo push back on the idea that Dana White is a cold executive who just sees fighters as numbers. “Everybody thinks he’s a low-key bad person because he doesn’t ‘pay his fighters. But they don’t know that he always covers medical bills, transportation, stays, food. He does a lot more than just pay them to fight.” His brother Josip Kristo put it more bluntly: “And he gives them a life too, bro.”

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These words land at an awkward moment, as the debate around fighter pay refuses to die. Justin Gaethje recently revived the debate ahead of his fight against Paddy Pimblett, saying that the new Paramount deal hasn’t added “one dollar” to his purse. In response, Dana White openly protested, stating the interim heavyweight champion had been offered more money but never responded.

That disconnect is precisely why the UFC CEO’s reputation remains controversial. In public, he spars. The antitrust lawsuit is only gaining traction in Federal court. But according to insiders, he provides in ways that are not revealed in a bout agreement. Both versions seem to exist simultaneously. The lawsuit and figures will continue to dominate headlines, but stories like this complicate the narrative.

The head honcho may never win a popularity contest, and he certainly doesn’t want to. Nonetheless, those closest to the operation keep describing a man who generously contributes when the cameras are not pointing at him. And that contradiction may be the most honest way to understand Dana White at all.

However, the narrative may change soon, as several fighters are renegotiating their contracts with the new Paramount deal kicking in. The biggest name on the list is Conor McGregor, who considers his current UFC contract ‘void.’

UFC is renegotiating contracts to reflect the post-PPV reality

That contradiction around Dana White now leads directly into a structural shift that the UFC cannot ignore. With the Paramount deal in place, the traditional pay-per-view model that shaped fighter contracts for years is being phased out. The promotion is now more profitable than ever, but many contracts were made for a system that no longer exists.

Fighters who previously relied on PPV points are being pushed back to the negotiation table. Knock Out Representation president Oren Hodak confirmed that new deals are being modified to reflect this change. “We are currently working on a new flat rate for some fighters who would have previously earned pay-per-view points,” Hodak stated, claiming that increasing revenue should result in better guaranteed pay.

And seeing that his clientele includes Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, Kevin Holland, and Renato Moicano, he surely knows the ins and outs of how UFC finance works. But the loudest voice in the discussion is Conor McGregor, who claims that the lack of pay-per-view has practically voided his current contract.

“My contract, essentially, is void right now because there’s no more pay-per-view,” McGregor revealed in a recent livestream, stating that renegotiations are on the way. As speculation about a possible White House return grows, the situation reveals the same tension at the heart of the debate: record revenue on one side and a pay system still looking for its new balance on the other.