The Octagon is more international than ever – so why is Dana White still tied to an administration that seeks to isolate large parts of its audience?
Forget for a moment the stereotype that MMA athletes and their fans are All-American bar fighters. The MMA community is far more diverse and far more cerebral than the casual onlooker realizes.
Has Dana White forgotten that?
The UFC president has long sought to expand the sport’s appeal to as many demographics as possible. But in the past few years, he has bet big on a tight affiliation with Donald Trump, who has been perfectly content to revel in the adulation of one segment of the population while heaping scorn upon all others. White has campaigned for Trump, welcomed him to several UFC events and hasn’t immediately smacked down the notion of holding a UFC card at the White House.
On the surface, that might seem logical. MMA culture is intertwined with bro culture, and bros are considered the antithesis of “woke” liberalism.
