Dana White, CEO of the UFC and a longstanding associate of Donald Trump, is joining the board of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, just weeks before the new administration takes office. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised White for transforming the UFC into a highly valuable and popular sports organization. Despite a previously tense relationship with Trump, Zuckerberg expressed admiration for White’s entrepreneurial skills in a recent Facebook post. Zuckerberg, an MMA enthusiast who has previously trained for a competitive fight, even experienced an ACL injury in 2023. He had exchanged playful jabs with Tesla CEO Elon Musk about a potential fight, though this ultimately fell through as Musk was deemed not serious about the match. White has publicly supported Trump, speaking onstage with him on election night and lauding Trump’s resilience. Recently, Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, and Zuckerberg has met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort post-election. Meta’s board will also include John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst, as Zuckerberg emphasizes the company’s focus on opportunities in AI, wearables, and the future of social media.
