Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg have developed a strong friendship over the past few years. This began when the Meta CEO started showing a keen interest in MMA and became a regular attendee at UFC events. Recently, their relationship has taken a new turn, evolving into a promising business partnership.
White has started the new year with a massive announcement that suggests that he has joined the Meta Board of Directors. According to the latest press release, along with White, Exor CEO John Elkann and investor Charlie Songhurst will also join the board. In his message, White conveyed his excitement for his collaboration and his intentions to take Meta to the next level.
I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future. I am very excited to join this incredible team
Dana White via Instagram
In the same post, Mark Zuckerberg shared his respect for White as the man behind UFC’s success. The Facebook founder is pleased to work with an entrepreneur like White to further evolve their brand. The objective of this collaboration is to work together towards massive opportunities regarding AI and the future of social media.
White previously expressed interest in collaborating with Zuckerberg to create an AI system for unbiased pound-for-pound rankings. This new partnership brings that vision closer to reality, signaling a significant step forward in the sport’s technological advancements. The collaboration follows Donald Trump’s recent election victory, a candidate who received public support from both Zuckerberg and White.
Mark Zuckerberg’s love for MMA and jiu-jitsu started in the last few years, and since then, he has been actively pursuing the hobby. He has also collaborated with various UFC superstars like Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, etc. and has trained with them. Zuckerberg has also taken it to the next level by participating in MMA events.
Mark Zuckerberg training jiu-jitsu (via Instagram)In 2023, Zuckerberg suffered an ACL tear during a sparring session while training for a competitive MMA fight. This was alarming for the company, and it was visible in the 2024 financial disclosure. In the reports, it was clear that Zuckerberg’s affinity toward MMA and other recreational activities was concerning for the business.
Zuckerberg and certain other members of management participate in various high-risk activities, such as combat sports, extreme sports, and recreational aviation, which carry the risk of serious injury and death. If Mr Zuckerberg were to become unavailable for any reason, there could be a material adverse impact on our operations
Meta financial disclosure
That same year, Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk exchanged a verbal altercation and expressed interest in facing off in a fight. Dana White offered to help organize the event and was quite excited about its possibility. However, Zuckerberg later announced that the fight was off, citing Musk’s lack of seriousness about the bout.
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