Boxing

UFC President Dana White Delivers Scathing 6-Word Verdict On Boxing Legend Bob Arum

Dana White only needed six words to convey his disdain for legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum.
Grant Young|
Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship introduces Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump during the final day of the Republican National Convention.
Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship introduces Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump during the final day of the Republican National Convention. | Jasper Colt / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some of the most bitter rivalries in the boxing world over the past century haven't been between the two guys slated to fight in the ring. Rather, it's their promoters who have the most hostility between each other.

This is because it's a promoter's job to convince the public that they have the best stable of fighters, are putting on the best fights, and deserve more attention than anywhere else. And this often means a promoter putting down their peers — which can breed contempt.

However, seeing beef between the promoters of two different combat sports is rarer, if only because they typically aren't encroaching on each other's markets. But that didn't stop UFC president Dana White from explaining his disdain for Bob Arum, the legendary 93-year-old CEO of Top Rank Boxing, in a February 3 episode of The Tucker Carlson Show.

“I hate him, he’s an a******,” White said of Arum.

Despite this sentiment, White still had to credit Arum for his longevity in the game — but not without first expanding on his hatred.

"Bob Arum, yeah, boxing promoter... he’s 94 years old, right? I hate him. This guy’s the biggest d******** of all time... So I am at the [Las Vegas] Aces WNBA game, right? Bob Arum is 94 years old. It’s nine o’clock at night. He’s sitting over there courtside. I’m like, 'Holy s***, Bob Arum is here. This is crazy. This guy’s 94 years old.’

"I s*** you not, two days later, I'm watching a fight," White continued. "Bob Arum is in Saudi Arabia, ringside at a boxing event. Two days later, he's in London at a press conference. He's 94 years old! I hate him. But you've got to respect it, right? How do you not respect that?"

White (55) then discusses how he wants to still be UFC President when he's around the age Arum is now.

There's no question Arum deserves respect for his accomplishments and staying power as a promoter.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.