Wife Slapper Dana White Says Dave Chappelle Taught Him His “F--- You” Mentality
UFC President and CEO Dana White says that his attitude towards advertisers is shaped by Dave Chappelle’s stand-up. Maybe White could also learn some lessons on marital life from Chappelle instead of taking his inspiration from the octagon.
The controversial fighting don has, historically speaking, held an aggressive stance towards his many detractors, whether they’re greedy corporate sponsors who seek to limit his free speech, his athletes who earn a dismally small percentage of the UFC’s profits while threatening unionization, or even his own wife during a drunken melee on New Years’ Eve. White boasts about his “F— you, got mine” attitude anytime he can get our attention, which makes it eminently fitting that he’s formed a close relationship with former president Donald Trump, who is often seen ringside with White at UFC events.
“I posted a video for Trump on my personal social media,” White said of a recent instance of attempted corporate censorship. “One of our big sponsors called and said, ‘Take that down.’ You know what I said? Go f— yourself.” Though White insists that he’s always had the IDGAF attitude that makes him both a figurehead and a heel among the international community of fighting fans, White says that his philosophy on corporate interests interfering with his self-expression comes from a specific source of inspiration.
White explained, “You cannot be held hostage by advertisers. Dave Chappelle made a great point in his comedy routine when he talked about not having a tennis shoe deal,” referencing a bit in Chappelle’s 2017 comedy special, The Age of Spin. “He mentioned that he's been offered such deals but doesn't take them because as soon as you do something the advertisers don't like, they can take it all away.”
In Chappelle’s iconic set, he explained his aversion to shoe sponsorships, saying, “If you say something that people don’t like, they’ll take your f---ing shoes off. If Martin Luther King had a sneaker deal, we’d still be on the back of the bus.”
White, on the other hand, has managed to make marketing deals that allow him to express his full self without financial or free speech restrictions, accruing an estimated $500 million net worth while saying whatever he wants, doing whatever he wants, and slapping whomever he wants. Ironically, the UFC does have a shoe deal (with The Rock’s sneaker brand, of all companies) among other apparel sponsorships – though the official UFC Store doesn’t yet stock a signature Dana White wife beater T.