The world currently holds Dana White as its most controversial business figure for various reasons. White’s reputation as a famous combat sports personality comes from two main factors. UFC fighter salaries, Dana White’s privilege, and his clear preference for monetary gain over ethical values all serve as evidence of White’s status as a notorious figure in combat sports.

People who know Dana White should expect him to show favoritism toward certain UFC fighters while displaying disdain for others. Throughout his time as UFC president, White has shown disrespect toward numerous fighters, although some cases received more public attention than others.

Here are a few fighters who did not end up in White’s good books.

#1. Brock Lesnar

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Lesnar won the fight in dominant fashion, but it was his post-fight interview that sparked a ton of controversy.

Bud Light was a major sponsor for the UFC at the time, and Lesnar felt slighted that the company was not directly paying him. In his post-fight interview, Lesnar announced that he was going to “Drink a Coors Light, because Bud Light won’t pay me.” Directly bashing sponsors, obviously, was not taken lightly as he reportedly got in the champion’s face about the incident after the event. This was evident in the post-fight press conference when Lesnar’s tune had completely changed.

With a Bud Light in front of him, Lesnar spoke candidly. “Dana came in, and we had a ‘whip the dog’ session,” the champion admitted. “I screwed up and I apologize.” This one blew over quickly, but it would’ve been interesting to be on fly on the wall while Dana fearlessly yelled at a guy who just minutes ago beat another world-class fighter into a bloody pulp.

#2. Anderson Silva

#5. Francis Ngannou

In the early 2020s, UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou had his star power questioned by White. He had other projects that he wanted to take on, such as professional boxing, though Dana denied him opportunities despite giving similar ones to Conor McGregor previously.

He was also constantly denied a Jon Jones fight, even though he did more than enough to deserve it, though that may have been more on Jones himself than the UFC. In January 2023, Ngannou departed from the UFC and vacated his UFC Heavyweight Championship as he felt that he was disrespected by White and the UFC, as he wasn’t offered as much as he believed he was worth.

Since then, Dana has taken advantage of any opportunity he’s given to critique Ngannou, especially in press conferences. This includes blaming Ngannou for the Jones fight not coming to fruition, and smiling about the former UFC champ getting knocked out by Anthony Joshua.

#6. Cris Cyborg

For a long time, it felt like Cris Cyborg would always be on the outside of the UFC, looking in. When the UFC bought out Strikeforce in 2011 and assimilated its fighters onto its roster in 2013, Cyborg was never brought in despite being that promotion’s reigning featherweight champion.

No official reason was given, but it was clear that Dana White wasn’t a fan of the Brazilian, even labeling her “Wanderlei Silva is a dress” in one notorious interview.

By 2016, though, the UFC had clearly decided that Cyborg’s value as a fighter outstripped the fact that she was supposedly tricky to work with. They brought her in for two fights at a 140-pound catchweight, and when it became clear that she’d never make 135 pounds, they decided to install a 145-pound division primarily to suit her.

However, problems between Cyborg and White began when she claimed she couldn’t make weight for the UFC’s inaugural title fight between the Brazilian and Tonya Evinger instead. Cyborg duly won the title and then appeared to become one of the UFC’s go-to stars.

But despite bailing the UFC out on late notice by offering to main event UFC 222 in 2018, it was always clear that Dana White wasn’t fully on board with the Brazilian, and once she lost her title to Amanda Nunes, things quickly turned sour.

Cyborg continually demanded a rematch, but simply couldn’t come to terms with the UFC over it, with White claiming on multiple occasions that the Brazilian wasn’t really interested in another clash with Nunes.

She fought once more in the UFC- a win over Felicia Spencer- before coming to a mutual agreement to leave the promotion. According to White, he was “out of the Cyborg business” and seemed happier for it

#7 Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia’s reign as UFC heavyweight champion could hardly have begun in worse fashion. After he captured the title from Rico Rodrigues in 2003 and defeated Gan McGee in his first defense, he tested positive for anabolic steroids and was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, resulting in him being stripped of his title.

That did not put him fully on the outs with the UFC, though, who were willing to forgive and forget and immediately gave ‘The Maine-iac’ a shot at the vacant title upon his return. At that stage, Sylvia felt every bit the company man.

However, when he recaptured the title from Andrei Arlovski in 2006, his relationship with the UFC swiftly went downhill. He won the title with an exciting knockout, but his first two title defenses, against Arlovski in a rematch and then against Jeff Monson, were dull fights that angered UFC fans.

Dana White was clearly relieved when Randy Couture defeated Sylvia for the title in early 2007, and the relationship between the two didn’t get any better when Sylvia asked to fight Brock Lesnar when the former WWE star arrived in the UFC in 2008. Sylvia’s request was turned down. And when he then demanded his release from the UFC, he was quickly granted it.

‘The Maine-iac’ went on to fight for the short-lived Affliction promotion, but unlike others who fought under that banner, he was never brought back to the octagon afterwards.

#8 Tyron Woodley

When Tyron Woodley won the UFC welterweight title in 2016 by knocking out Robbie Lawler, it felt like ‘The Chosen One’ would go on to become a superstar. But despite putting together four successful title defenses, he never quite reached the heights that many felt he would.

One reason for this may well have been his fractious relationship with Dana White. Woodley often accused the UFC of treating him unfairly when it came to the way he was promoted, which seemed to baffle White, who went on to label him the most difficult fighter he’d ever worked with.

White also claimed that he didn’t actually dislike Woodley, but at times it was hard not to come to that conclusion. After all, the UFC president was visibly frustrated with Woodley’s title defenses against Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia.

In fact, the UFC president outright slammed ‘The Chosen One’ after the fight with Maia, stating that nobody would want to pay to see him fight after his efforts and that there was no way he’d book him in a fight with Georges St-Pierre.

More recently, White has slammed Woodley’s upcoming fight with YouTuber Jake Paul, labeling the clash a “bunch of bullsh*t” and declaring Woodley’s claims that he’ll be making more money from the fight than he did in the UFC a lie.

#9 Randy Couture

Randy Couture, who found himself essentially blacklisted by the UFC on two separate occasions.

It wasn’t always that way. Couture was the UFC heavyweight champion when White took control of the UFC in 2001, and he was largely positioned as one of the promotion’s poster boys.

In 2003, he became the first man to have held 2 UFC titles in different weight classes when he won the UFC light heavyweight title, and in 2005, he famously coached the first season of The Ultimate Fighter alongside Chuck Liddell.

Things went awry, however, when Couture won the UFC heavyweight title for the third time in 2007. ‘The Natural’ was desperate for the UFC to sign former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko for a fight with him, but when negotiations fell through, Couture decided he would walk away from the UFC.

Although White didn’t publicly slam Couture, he was clearly furious with him, and essentially blacklisted him from the promotion until ‘The Natural’ agreed to return to the fold in 2008.

It appeared that White was willing to forgive and forget following the end of that sorry episode, and Couture was once again positioned as one of the UFC’s go-to stars. However, after his retirement in 2011, ‘The Natural’ stunned everyone by suddenly walking away from a broadcasting role with the UFC to join their competitor, Bellator MMA

That caused White to erupt, and he finally revealed his true feelings on Couture, stating that he didn’t respect him at all and that “the only time that Randy Couture is a man is when he sets foot in the cage.”

It was one of White’s angrier interviews, which, given his combative nature, said a lot about his terrible relationship with one of the ultimate UFC legends.

#10. Demetrious Johnson

Dana White Believed The Greatest UFC Flyweight Ever Was Not Worthy of Promoting. MMA fans widely consider Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson as one of the greatest UFC fighters ever. However, in his prime, Dana heavily disrespected him due to his inability to sell fights. He had the lowest-selling UFC PPVs of the 2010s due to a lack of promotion, which is why he was relegated to co-main events and fight nights many times, despite his legendary status.

In 2019, immediately after losing his UFC Flyweight Championship after 11 consecutive defenses, he was also traded from the UFC to ONE Championship for Ben Askren, a welterweight who was well out of his prime by then and only ended up going 1-2 in the UFC before his retirement.

Mighty Mouse had 11 UFC Flyweight Championship defenses, though it may not seem like that given how he was treated within the company. It’s clear that White had not prioritized Johnson as a champion, and when the numbers represented that, the UFC President did not blame himself.