Dana White bumped into Barack Obama earlier this year, an encounter that drew some attention online.
White, who has a long-standing friendship with Donald Trump, was in attendance at his second inauguration in January.
While standing behind George W. Bush and Laura Bush, White noticed Obama being introduced to the stage and made his way over.
The moment caught the eye of some fans, who thought he might have been giving the former president a cold stare.
Months after that episode, White has opened up on what really happened there.
Barack Obama was the only President to congratulate Dana White
Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes featured a segment on White, during which he discussed his encounter with Obama at the US Capitol.
“I was at the inauguration, and I was sitting behind all the ex-presidents,” White said.
“There was this stuff going around like, ‘Dana’s mad dogging President Obama….’
“President Obama turned around, the only president that did, and shook my hand and said, congratulations on all your success.
“And I said, ‘Thank you very much, Mr. president.’ That’s what happened. I’ve never talked about that publicly.”
The UFC boss has often been seen walking out to events alongside President Trump.
However, he made it clear he would also welcome Obama if he ever chose to attend a UFC event.
“If President Obama called and said, hey, I’d like to come see a fight. We’d be like, yeah. Buy some tickets and good luck here, whatever…. No. The sitting president or ex-president of the United States wants to come to your event, you treat them with respect,” White stated.
Dana White discusses fighter pay following $7.7B broadcast deal
Fighter pay has become an increasingly common question directed at White, especially with the new $7.7B broadcast rights agreement with Paramount.
This deal is a significant jump from their current arrangement with ESPN, which stands at $1.5B.
During his interview on 60 Minutes, White was asked whether the new broadcast deal would lead to proportional increases in fighter salaries.
White responded: “I can’t sit here and tell you it’s double, it’s one and a half, it’s triple…
“But, fighter pay… is gonna be good.”
When pressed on whether UFC fighters are paid fairly, he simply replied: “Absolutely.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
