Dana White on why he has ‘completely removed himself’ from UFC fighter negotiations

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Dana White has finally revealed why he no longer plays a direct role in UFC fight negotiations.

In the past, White would often be involved in discussions with fighters at all levels to get agreements over the line. But since the UFC was sold to Endeavor in 2016, his role has become far more hands-off, and he now operates more as a public face than a dealmaker.

These days, Hunter Campbell, the promotion’s Chief Business Officer, handles most of the negotiation process behind closed doors.

How Dana White’s role in fighter talks changed

Dana White hasn’t been directly involved in fighter contract talks for some time now. These days, he’s more focused on the business side of things, along with projects like Zuffa Boxing, Power Slap, and TKO Group work.

“We were a small business,” he told SPEED on Fox. “We started to grow the relationships with the Chuck Liddells and the Matt Hughes of the early days right up to Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Cowboy Cerrone.

“And the list goes on and on it got to a point where – we talk about Cowboy – this guy was always doing something crazy.

“So as soon as he got his cheque, he was blowing it. He’s buying boats, jet skis, all kinds of toys. But whenever anything would go wrong in these guys’ personal lives we were the first call they would make for things like that.

“Obviously it’s grown and I have completely removed myself from the negotiating part of fighter contracts. I got to the point where it’s just ‘this isn’t fun any more’. I’m lucky that I’m at a point in my life and my career where I can just deal with the fun stuff that I like to do.”