Dana White Says He’s No Longer Involved in Matchmaking, Contract Negotiations

UFC CEO Dana White revealed that he is no longer involved with matchmaking and contract negotiations for the promotion company.

White made the comments during his testimony at Nevada Federal District Court on Wednesday. UFC is a party in two ongoing antitrust lawsuits, Johnson v. Zuffa and Cirkunovs v. Zuffa. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of fighters who have been active since July 1, 2017, and followed an earlier suit, which settled in 2024 with TKO paying $375 million to fighters active between 2010 and 2017. 

During his testimony, which featured extensive conversations surrounding phone usage, White was asked about his day-to-day operations. In response, he revealed that he is no longer involved in fighter negotiations.

“You won’t find one manager on this planet who will tell you I’ve negotiated a deal in I don’t know how long,” White said. 

Chief business officer Hunter Campbell handles the majority of negotiations according to White, along with Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. The trio are also responsible for matchmaking.

While this is the first time White has outright confirmed his current role, the extent of Campbell’s involvement should come as no surprise. Fight Inc: Inside the UFC, a 2024 three-part series available on Roku, gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the promotion’s operations. In multiple scenes,  Campbell was negotiating with fighters, including Jon Jones and Aljamain Sterling, with Jones’s championship fight against Stipe Miocic being agreed to in a car in a parking lot. 

Campbell testified in Nevada on Thursday and was pressed by Judge Richard Boulware about White’s comments from the day prior. Campbell acknowledged that it’s hard to believe that the CEO would have no involvement in negotiations or matchmaking, but confirmed what White said to be true.

“I run the fight business, and he runs the entire company,” Campbell said. He added that has been the case since he returned to the UFC in 2017, with White focused more on overall company growth and strategy, along with broadcast production. 

UFC returns to action on Feb. 7, with bantamweights Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira headlining the first Fight Night event on Paramount+. 

UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.