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In today’s day and age, people try to boycott everything when a company does something they don’t agree with. Bud Light was a big target earlier this year, so when Dana White and the UFC announced a lucrative deal that has Bud Light returning as the “Official Beer of the UFC,” there were plenty of critics.
There were people on social media calling the UFC boss a “sellout” for accepting the deal and heard those ridiculous cries loud and clear.
On Wednesday night, speaking at the Power Slap 5 post-fight press conference, White responded to the critics of the UFC’s multi-year deal that is reportedly worth over $100 million.
Dana White defends the UFC's new Budlight deal, and says it was more about values than money. pic.twitter.com/YIw9aD2XJh
— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) October 26, 2023
“They were the first beer company that we really did business with. They were our first real big sponsor when we were getting started, and now we’re back with them,” White said. “I know all the controversy and everything else, but for myself, going into a long-term deal with another sponsor, I want to be with somebody that I’m actually aligned with.”
Adding to the humor of all of the criticism is the fact that the UFC’s previous official beer sponsor, Modelo, is also owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the same parent company of Bud Light.
The Bud Light controversy started over Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign featuring transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.
That sent the internet into a frenzy with beer drinkers ripping the company and saying they were spitting in the face of their core consumers and audience by featuring a transgender person in their campaign.
Despite all of that, White says that Anheuser-Busch’s core values line up with those of the UFC.
“When it comes to Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, everybody talks about, oh, you did it for the money. Hey, dummies, all sponsorship deals are about money, so when you talk about being a sellout, I have multiple deals in front of me, so it’s not like Bud showed up, and they were the only option I had to get money,” White said. “We were going to end up with money with no matter who we ended up with for Anheuser-Busch, it was about values, core values for me. I’m at a point in my life, and I’m at a point in my career where nothing is just about money anymore.
BREAKING: Bud Light Returns as the Official Beer of the UFC.
How are Republicans going to handle this now?
The deal is a 6-year, $100 Million agreement that essentially makes Bud Light the face of UFC.
I never understood the outrage. A company that tries to be open to people… pic.twitter.com/QWFZmA8h8E
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) October 25, 2023
White added, “Everything I said about Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light is absolutely true, I am a big military and law enforcement guy. They have this folds of honor where they’ve spent $44 million over the last however many years. Fallen first responders and military people, their families get taken care of with this money, scholarships for their kids, that is right up my alley.
“Almost $1 billion a year goes to U.S. farmers for their crops and their products. That is right up my alley. That’s exactly who I am. 65,000 Americans are employed by Anheuser-Busch, and thousands of them are vets, right up my alley.”
So, there you have it, dummies.
You can either watch the UFC or not. It’s up to you. If a beer logo in the cage is going to make you turn off your television, it’s your loss. And Dana White doesn’t care, because he and the company are doing just fine.
