UFC: Dana White is not part of UFC matchmaking or contracts, antitrust hearings reveal

UFC president Dana White said during a lawsuit that he is not part of the promotion’s matchmaking and does not handle fighters’ contracts.

At a hearing this week in Nevada federal district court regarding two ongoing antitrust lawsuits against the UFC, White revealed nearly all of the business related to the fighters is taken care of by his representatives — Hunter Campbell, Mick Maynard and Shawn Shelby.

White said Wednesday that this process has been in place since 2017, something Campbell confirmed during his testimony Thursday.

“You’re not going to find a single manager on this planet who will tell you, ‘I negotiated a deal for I don’t know how long,'” White told Judge Richard Boulware.

When asked to clarify White’s involvement in fighter contracts, Campbell, the UFC’s chief business officer, said he never looked at them or asked any questions, adding, “Dana is a very unique person.”

Boulware was skeptical of the arrangement, questioning how White, who has been in charge of the UFC for 25 years, could not have any input into fighters’ contracts and match making.

Campbell said White has unwavering confidence in the matchmaking team, and is instead focused on the big side of the business, such as the growth of the sport and the production side.

In 2024, White has overseen a $20m (£15.3m) UFC event at the Sphere in Las Vegas – the only major sporting event to be held at the venue to date – and is targeting an ambitious event at the White House in July.

White and Campbell were testifying in two ongoing antitrust lawsuits against the UFC filed by former fighters Kagan Johnson (Johnson v. Zova) and Misha Cirkunov (Cirkunov v. Zova).

The hearing inquired about their roles in the UFC and focused on whether the organization’s communications equipment, such as cell phones, had been destroyed or improperly tampered with.

Fighters from 2017 to the present are seeking damages and changes to the UFC’s business practices, including the contracts they insist on.

In October 2025, the UFC agreed to pay £281 million to former fighters who participated in the mixed martial arts promotion between 2010 and 2017.

The Le v Zuffa lawsuit alleged that the UFC suppressed athletes’ ability to negotiate other promotional options and an estimated 1,100 fighters were affected.

The UFC was sold to IMG in 2016 for $4 billion before merging with WWE in 2023 to become TKO.