It turns out Dana White and Elon Musk have a lot in common.
Just recently, the UFC CEO revealed that he had a past altercation with a sponsor that told him to remove a post he made on social media showing support for former president Donald Trump. In response, White claimed to have told the unnamed UFC sponsor “go f*** yourself”, and promised that he’ll never bow down to pressure like that no matter how much somebody is paying him.
On Wednesday, Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk said exactly the same thing following a mass exodus of advertisers from the social media site over antisemitic posts.
“If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f*** yourself,” Musk said while appearing at the Dealbook Conference. “Go f*** yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”
White backed Musk’s comments at the UFC Austin post-fight press conference while touting his belief that more business titans likely feel the exact same way as them.
“There’s more people than just me and Elon now that feel that way,” White said. “It’s like, just because you sponsor us doesn’t mean you run this business, and you’re definitely not telling me what to do. That’s a fact. That’s never going to happen, ever.”
Beyond his past issue with a sponsor telling him to remove a post on social media, White also lashed out at Peloton after comedian Theo Von revealed that the exercise equipment company told him to pull down an episode of his podcast that featured an interview with presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.
After hearing Von’s tale of woe, White demanded that all Peloton bikes be removed from the UFC gym.
When it comes to the UFC, White vows that he’ll only do business with people aligned with his beliefs — which he previously touted as a huge part of the reason the company signed a new multi-year deal with Bud Light — and otherwise everyone else can kick rocks.
“I’ve got this new mindset,” White explained. “I look at sponsorships like relationships. Like being in a relationship with somebody.
“If I’ve got to be in a relationship with somebody for six years, we better be aligned and we better think and feel the same way or you do your thing, do whatever you do.”
One thing is for certain, White never wants to receive a call from an executive telling him to watch what he says or anything else related to the company he’s running, no matter how much a sponsor is paying them.
Just like what Musk said to his advertisers, White promises an equally colorful response.
“Don’t ever f****** call me and tell me what you want me to do because you sponsor us,” White said. “That is never going to happen. So if that’s the type of person that you are, don’t even bother trying to sponsor the UFC.”
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