UFC Legend Names Only 2 Fighters Who ‘Got Close’ to Dana White

It is commonly accepted among MMA fans that the UFC wouldn’t be where it is today without the influence of Dana White. The current UFC CEO and president initially advised his friends, the Fertitta brothers, to acquire the promotion in 2001. With its then owners on the verge of bankruptcy, the Fertitta brothers took over with a $2 million bid, immediately assigning White his presidential role.

Now under the ownership of TKO, the same media conglomerate that owns WWE, the UFC has reached a mighty valuation of $11 billion. Not bad considering the state of the promotion when White joined in 2001. The increased value of the MMA organisation is largely down to his creative direction. He has made household and crossover stars out of many of the fighters that have appeared in the Octagon. His influence has also been healthy for MMA’s popularity as a whole, with the UFC’s prominence helping to bring attention to other promotions around the world.

As previously mentioned, many fighters have White to thank for their careers and subsequent success. However, as helpful as White has been to many of the UFC’s talents, knowing him on both a professional and personal level is another matter. As two-division champion Henry Cejudo suggested, only two fighters during White’s tenure have been able to break into the CEO’s inner circle.

Dana White’s Inner Circle, According to Henry Cejudo

Only two fighters have ever made it in… and it’s not Jon Jones

Cejudo held the UFC flyweight and bantamweight titles simultaneously in 2019, becoming a two-division champion and only the fourth UFC fighter to hold two titles at the same time. He is also an Olympic gold medallist, having won in the 55kg category at the 2008 Games.

One of the biggest stars in the UFC at the time, Cejudo shocked the MMA world in 2020 when he announced his retirement. The move was criticised by many analysts and commentators, claiming that he was using the retirement as a contract negotiation tactic. Cejudo then returned to the UFC in 2023. He has had three fights since returning to competition, but has yet to score his first comeback win.

While Cejudo came under fire for his alleged retirement reasons, there are other analysts and commentators that blame White for Cejudo’s retirement, citing their poor professional relationship and White’s refusal to meet his contract demands. Unsurprisingly, he still doesn’t have a great working relationship with White, implying that he’s in the vast majority when speaking to Jake Shields on the Fight Back podcast.

Henry Cejudo on 2 Fighters in Dana White’s Inner Circle

“Not a lot of people have relations with Dana, you know what I’m saying? If you talk to anybody that knows him…he has a [tight] inner circle.”

In fact, Cejudo revealed that just two fighters had managed to crack the elusive White during their UFC tenures – and they are two of the most successful stars in the promotion’s history.

While Cejudo has yet to break into White’s close-knit troop, and looks unlikely to ever do so, he did admit that White’s promotional strategy is unmatched. “But as a promoter, dude, he’s the GOAT. He’s the greatest of all time.”