Dana White: UFC deal with Bud Light 'about core values for me,' not money

LAS VEGAS – UFC CEO Dana White says the promotion’s decision to bring back Bud Light as its official beer sponsor was not about money.

The UFC signed a six-year sponsorship deal with Bud Light, which starts Jan. 1, that’s expected to be worth north of $100 million. Bud Light will replace Modelo as the UFC’s official beer sponsor.

The deal was announced Wednesday, roughly six months after Bud Light partnered with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a March Madness ad campaign this past April. That sparked anger and boycotts across the U.S., largely from conservatives and Republican politicians.

White said he was aware of the potential backlash the UFC could receive as a result of partnering with Bud Light, but he isn’t concerned about it.

“Believe me, if you think I got into this thinking that wouldn’t happen, you’re out of your mind,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday night after Power Slap 5 at the UFC Apex. “People are very opinionated about this, and it’s almost like in the COVID thing. Through COVID, what did I say during COVID? Somebody’s got to be first. There are reasons why I felt we could be first going through COVID, knew we would do it right, yada, yada, yada. You know the story. But when it comes to Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, everybody talks about, ‘Oh, you did it for money.’ Hey, dummies, all sponsorship deals are about money. OK? So, when you talk about being a sellout, I have multiple (offers) in front of me.

“So it’s not like Bud Light showed up and they were the only option I had to get money. You know how f*cking stupid that is? This was all about, and I said this yesterday and I’ll say it again, everybody on every side of this deal that were involved, other beer companies and everything else absolutely, positively know that this was not about money for me. We were going to end up with money no matter who we ended up with. For Anheuser-Busch, it was about values, core values for me. I’m at a point in my life, and I’m at a point in my career, where nothing is just about money anymore.”

With sales taking a major hit since the Mulvaney campaign, Bud Light’s deal is viewed by many as the beer company making a major attempt to rebrand with the young, male audience commanded by the UFC.

White was angry about the notion that he was given a script to read when announcing his deal with Bud Light in a press release, insisting that he would never allow someone to script his statements.

White explained what he likes about Anheuser-Busch and its vision, and why the deal makes sense for him and the UFC.

“I am a big military, law enforcement guy,” White said. “(Bud Light has) these Folds of Honor where they’ve spent $44 million over the last however many years, fallen first responders and military people, their families get taken care of with this money, scholarships for their kids, etc. That is right up my alley. Almost $1 billion a year goes to U.S. farmers for their crops, for their products. That is right up my alley.

“That is exactly who I am. Sixty-five thousand Americans are employed by Anheuser-Busch, and thousands of them are vets. Right up my alley. And I can keep going on and on forever and tell you why I’m more aligned with Anheuser-Busch than any of the other beer companies that were offering to pay us money.”