UFC CEO Dana White was part of the high-profile dinner with United States President Donald Trump and comedian Bill Maher. Musician Kid Rock wanted White there to prevent potential chaos given the long-standing tension between Trump and Maher.
White described the dinner as an opportunity for Trump and Maher to sit down and find common ground, despite their opposing views. The conversation, according to White, proved to be a refreshing break from the usual social media spats and public insults.
Detailing the meeting in an interview with Fox News, White said:
“I think the coolest thing about that meeting and that dinner was two guys who have not liked each other for a very long time, two guys who have many opposing views got together and sat down and talked... They talked about a lot of things they agree on and a lot of things they disagree on, but Kid Rock and I always say … nobody walks into a meeting or a dinner with Donald Trump and walks out and doesn’t like him. It’s impossible, and if you say you don’t, you’re lying.”
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He added:
“First of all, the president is all over me, all the time because I don’t wear a suit when I go to these things. Bill Maher walks into the Oval office, and he’s like ‘there’s no way in hell I was showing up without a suit on’ and I didn’t have a suit on. Bill Maher looks and me and goes ‘this is definitely from [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy collection.’ It was hilarious. It was funny. It was fun. There was a lot of really good and smart conversation that went back and forth between him and the president and Kid Rock and I just sort of sat there and let those two have their time together. It was awesome.”
Check out Dana White's comments below (4:40):
Dana White reveals UFC TV deal negotiations begin as exclusive window with ESPN ends
UFC is entering a new phase in its TV deal negotiations, as the exclusive window with ESPN expires. Dana White confirmed that while ESPN could still re-sign, the opening allows other networks and streaming services to bid for the UFC's broadcasting rights.
White appreciated the relationship with ESPN at the UFC 314 post-fight press conference. Speaking about the next step in the TV deal negotiation, White said:
“When the window opens, we’ll obviously start talking to lots of different people and we’ll see what the options are out there. We’ve said this every time. There could be a time when we end up on several different networks like all other sports do."
Check out Dana White's comments below: