If you thought Dana White was checked out heading into 2026 you thought wrong.
The UFC CEO is doing his best to open the new year with an absolute bang as the promotion rolls out it’s $7.7 billion broadcast partnership with Paramount+. Not to mention the fact that White just launched Zuffa Boxing Friday night with its first event ever. Needless to say, White has been a busy little beaver over the past couple of weeks.
Earlier this month, MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani, suggested that White seemed “disconnected
and disinterested” in certain interviews about the UFC product. It raised some questions about White’s involvement and drive so early into the new year, but any of those concerns have been put to rest by the man himself.
“So I did one interview with CBS and I didn’t answer the question the way they thought I should answer the question, so I don’t care about the UFC anymore?” asked White during a recent interview with Sports Business Journal.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, here’s my answer: Come see what we do in 2026 going into 2027, and you will find out that I care very much about the UFC.
“I’m taking on more and I don’t know what they saw in the CBS interview – I don’t even know how to answer that question. It’s weird – one interview, one question in the interview, to think [from that] I don’t care about the UFC anymore. It’s kind of a weird thing.”
White, who always seems to be working on the next best thing, will watch his company take new heights on Saturday night (Jan. 24, 2026) as UFC makes its debut on Paramount+ with UFC 324. The event will be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
For UFC 324 fight card news and coverage click HERE. For more information on UFC on Paramount+ click HERE.
