When the UFC sold to Endeavor in 2016, there were fears that a culture change might overtake the world’s largest MMA promotion. After all, cage fighting didn’t exactly appear to fit in with the company’s core jet-setting, corporate Hollywood vibe. Several years later, however, and it seems the UFC has largely been left to its own devices—for better and worse.
Other than some calls from on high to stop the promotion from skirting regulations during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic – and a sweet, high-paying deal to host events in Abu Dhabi – from the outside it feels like Dana White has largely been left to run the UFC how he sees fit.