“Yeah, I mean, I’ve never dealt with Dana ever dealing with fights. I’ve always dealt with, first, for a long time I dealt with Sean Shelby, and then I started dealing with Hunter,” said Sean O’Malley during the latest episode of the BroMalley Show podcast. Following his remarks, another UFC veteran has now come forward to echo O’Malley’s claims. While the MMA world often views UFC CEO Dana White as the ultimate authority, recent testimonies have changed that perception.

While testifying during the UFC’s antitrust lawsuit, White told Judge Richard Boulware that he has “less than zero” involvement in fighters’ contracts and has stayed far removed from matchmaking since Endeavor took over in 2016. In fact, Dana White claimed he handed down his responsibilities to Hunter Campbell, who now manages these duties, a revelation that left most surprised. Now, Matt Brown has come forward to reveal what his experience has been like.

Dana White’s testimony gains backing from UFC veteran

“It was just straight to Dana (before 2016),” Matt Brown told MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin. “And after the buyout, this is just my own experience, I’ve never talked to Dana or anybody other than Sean Shelby after that. I never even spoke to Dana on the phone about anything, honestly, which was kind of surprising.”

The UFC legend added, “I negotiated with Dana once, and that was in, I want to say, 2016.” Here, Matt Brown is talking about White’s court testimony during the spoliation hearing held in the first week of February for the lawsuit of Cirkunov v. Zuffa. During the hearing, he and other UFC officials testified under oath about missing evidence, particularly cell records and communications that the plaintiff could not provide.

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The hearing aimed to ensure that the UFC preserved all relevant evidence, thereby preventing it from being lost, destroyed, or altered. However, the promotion failed to produce some evidence, with claims that someone had lost items or stolen phones.

During the hearing, Dana White shocked everyone by revealing that he still uses a flip phone rather than an iPhone or Android. The proceedings also showed that Dana White did not know how Instagram automatically deleted his messages. Despite these claims, there were a few contradictions, especially one from TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel.

Dana White is busy finalizing the UFC White House card

The upcoming UFC White House event has quickly become Dana White and his team’s biggest responsibility, a role that President Donald Trump assigned to the promotion last year. Consequently, the team is working extensively to deliver an experience unlike anything fans have seen in America’s 250-year history. Scheduled for June 14, the event promises a unique blend of sports and politics.

Despite the excitement, Dana White’s recent comments, testimony, and interviews indicate that the promotion is still developing the fight card. Specifically, White revealed that the team would begin work on the card this month, revealing some unexpected details. Furthermore, things became even more intriguing when TKO and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel shared additional information about the event’s planning.

“So, at the White House, I think it’s 3,000… Yeah, 3,000, 4,000… South Lawn. So, and then there’ll be others in other areas. And Dana’s working on it right now,” Emanuel said on The Pat McAfee Show. “There’s gonna be approximately six to seven fights on June 14th. Flag Day. He hasn’t said to us what the card’s gonna be, but I know they’re working pretty hard at it right now.” This suggests that, despite his claims of not being involved in fight planning anymore, Dana White is, in fact, involved in planning the White House card himself.

Since Dana White is not directly handling matchmaking for most fights and fighters, how do you think UFC officials manage the organization? Could his absence, therefore, explain some of the disappointing fight cards in recent times?