Dana White refuses to waver on holding events across the Middle East, shutting down questions about regional unrest and travel safety with curt dismissals.
During a sit-down with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, the UFC CEO was asked directly whether the organization had drawn up contingency plans for an upcoming card in Abu Dhabi.
“Nope. We’re going,” White said.
Asked whether he had consulted local officials, White fired back with two words: “We go.”
He doubled down at the Edmonton post-fight press conference when reporters brought up a potential December card in Saudi Arabia.
“I go to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday,” White stated. “I have like six events in the next 30 days in Saudi, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.”
White clearly intends to make the trip, yet his brief replies ignore the operational realities facing everyone else. Behind every major international card sit hundreds of athletes, cornermen, broadcast technicians, and event staff. White offered zero insight into what happens if flights halt, nor did he clarify whether employees can opt out of travel.
Similar tensions recently erupted in boxing around Canelo Alvarez’s matchup with Christian Mbilli. That card is independent of the UFC, but veteran trainer Robert Garcia raised identical safety flags regarding the undercard personnel.
Garcia, who handles Lindolfo Delgado on the preliminary slate, told Elie Seckbach that Canelo’s private jets and elite security detail do nothing to protect the rest of the traveling talent.
“If they tell us you guys are all traveling together, then we’re fine,” Garcia pointed out.
His message carries weight: marquee stars receiving first-class protection does not solve the travel anxieties of the crew supporting them.
White might have comprehensive security protocols running behind closed doors. In spite of that, barking “we go” leaves his roster, workforce, and their families completely in the dark. Locking in an international fight date is easy; proving that the people making it happen can work and return home safely demands real transparency.
Ultimately, refusing to discuss contingency plans is not bravery. Bravery requires taking calculated risks where you personally bear the full consequences.
Committing hundreds of independent contractors, low-wage staff, and traveling athletes to a volatile area without outlining clear security and evacuation protocols is simply corporate stubbornness backed by massive financial guarantees.
