UFC CEO Dana White Shares Brutal Parallel Between MMA & Link to CTE

Dana White's brief experience in boxing still reminds him of the dangers of competing in combat sports.

Mar 21, 2026; London,UNITED KINGDOM; UFC CEO Dana White greets fans before the fight between Kurtis Campbell (red gloves) and Danny Silva (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

Despite the financial mammoth that is the UFC's business, UFC CEO Dana White still carries two pillars with him that, on the surface, define why MMA needs to be treated with immense care: health and safety.

White's longtime quote, "There has never been a death or serious injury" in his 30-plus years of overseeing the promotion, was pushed back by NPR's Steve Inskeep when discussing the long-term impact fighters undergo after their careers end.

White addressed the risks associated with combat sports, sharing that it was when he was trying to make it in professional boxing before eventually becoming a manager and promoter that reality began to set in.

Dana White On Walking Away From Boxing

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Ultimately, White said he had no regrets when choosing to walk away from a literal fighting career.

"When you are in a combat sport, when you get hit in the head — this isn't like the NFL where, you know, they believed for years that helmets would protect your [career]," White said. "There's none of that here [in the UFC]. You know exactly what you're getting into when you get into this sport, 100 percent."

White said through the help of studies at the Cleveland Clinic, the UFC can monitor post-career activity, even with the stigma attached to health and safety.

For White himself, the most challenging conversations are those when it's time for a fighter to pursue other career opportunities, or leave the UFC for another promotion during the later stages of their careers.

"One day, I realized I wasn't it," White said of his short-lived career. "I think the hard part in this business is [that] I've known a lot of guys that I've met throughout the years that didn't realize that. Stuck around too long, longer than they should have."

There isn't a quick fix for the problem necessarily, White said. However, with the sport's evolution, White added that there are more resources than ever before to determine whether someone is remotely qualified to compete, long term, knowing the long-term effects of the business itself.

Dana White On Career Length In Combat Sports

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"If you stick around too long trying to make it, you might miss another opportunity," White said of career ambitions.

And that's the unfortunate risk of professional fighting. No matter who is competing on a given card on Saturday nights all over the world, anything can happen in any fight. And for some, unfortunately, it can be career-altering.

Whether things will change in the near future, however, remains to be seen