Yes, Dana White got booed. The crowd at Allegiant Stadium made that crystal clear. And of course, the sports media pounced like hyenas on a fresh headline, running gleefully with the surface-level drama. Dana White, the brash UFC president, getting a cold reception at a WWE event? That’s clickbait gold. But let’s hit pause for a second—because the real story wasn’t about the booing at all. It was about who Dana White was standing next to when it happened.
During WWE’s intro package hyping up Las Vegas as the epicenter of combat sports, White’s voice echoed across the arena. Then, his face flashed across the massive Allegiant Stadium screens—twice. The crowd groaned. Why? Because this was a WWE event, and MMA still sits uneasily with certain segments of the wrestling fanbase. Especially in an era when WWE has leaned harder into storytelling than slugfests.
Dana White booed at #WrestleMania lmao 💀😂 pic.twitter.com/7MtWRBkCGU
— Samir | WWE fan 🇧🇩 (@SamirParvez) April 20, 2025
Cue the viral tweet. Ben Fowlkes, from Uncrowned, chimed in with a zinger:
“Dana White is there watching this like, this sucks they should just all walk out wearing the same clothes while we show close-up shots of the president and his agriculture secretary or whatever.”
Dana White is there watching this like, this sucks they should just all walk out wearing the same clothes while we show close-up shots of the president and his agriculture secretary or whatever. https://t.co/7MwatVZn7R
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) April 20, 2025
Funny? Sure. But it completely missed the forest for the trees. Because seated right next to Dana was Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer. And that is the story the media should’ve been chasing.
Why? Because the UFC’s deal with ESPN is almost up. And the next broadcast rights negotiation could reshape how millions of fans consume UFC content for the next decade. At UFC 314’s post-fight press conference, Dana played it cool:
“When the window opens, we’ll obviously start talking to lots of different people… There could be a time when we end up on several different networks like all other sports do.”
He praised ESPN, even reflecting on the rough start that turned into a “great place.” But that doesn’t mean he’s staying put.
The UFC’s current model—a monthly ESPN+ subscription plus $79.99 for pay-per-views—is a pain point for many fans. That dual-layer pricing could be on the chopping block if the UFC lands with a platform like Netflix, which already operates on a single-subscription model. No extra fees. No split-screen platforms. Just one global portal—and an audience that spans continents.
Dana White sat with Netflix chief content officer, Bela Bajaria at Wrestlemania last night. Prior to White’s arrival, Bajaria sat next to TKO President, Mark Shapiro. $TKO $NFLX
— Brandon Ross (@BrandoLightShed) April 20, 2025
And this isn’t just wishful thinking. Dana didn’t end up at a WWE event by accident. WWE just inked its own massive deal with Netflix. So when Dana is seen at a Netflix-branded event, next to Netflix’s top content exec, it’s not about fandom—it’s about the future.
Even Joe Rogan is reading the tea leaves. On a recent episode of his podcast, he dropped this prediction:
“Netflix has too much content. I love Netflix, don’t get me wrong… I think the UFC might be going to Netflix soon. Wild! Because Netflix is international, it’s everywhere.”
And he’s right. UFC isn’t just American anymore. Its talent pool spans over 75 countries. A global sport needs a global stage. Netflix fits that mold.
So yes, Dana got booed. That’s the headline everyone saw. But the story they missed? It could mark the beginning of a seismic shift in how UFC reaches fans worldwide.
Unpopular opinion, but I 100% agree.
WWE is what MMA media wishes the UFC was in terms of fanbase.
— Anthony Joseph (@Anthony44922210) April 20, 2025
The change in the fanbase over the past 10-15 years has been very interesting. Went from blue collar types to people with graduate degrees arguing over storylines on Reddit. It’s very “fandom” now. Strange.
— Nicholas De Leon (@nicholasadeleon) April 20, 2025
