UFC CEO Dana White made no apologies for his new partnership with Bud Light.
Starting Jan. 1, Anheuser-Busch will become the exclusive “Official Beer Partner of UFC,” and as part of the sponsorship, Bud Light will become the official beer in the U.S., per the statement. The beer brand will replace Modelo as the official beer of the championship, Newsweek reported.
On Wednesday night, White spoke to reporters at the UFC Apex and stood by his decision.
“People are very opinionated about this, and it’s almost like in the COVID thing. Through COVID, what did I say during COVID? Somebody’s got to be first,” he explained.
Additionally, White said there were “reasons” why he felt the mixed martial arts organization “could be first going through COVID” and why he knew the organization would handle it the right way.
Dana White talks Bud Light. pic.twitter.com/LxGz3qvh3x
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 26, 2023
He continued:
“But when it comes to Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, everybody talks about, ‘Oh, you did it for money.’ Hey, dummies, all sponsorship deals are about money. OK? So, when you talk about being a sellout, I have multiple deals in front of me.”
“So it’s not like Bud Light showed up and they were the only option I had to get money. You know how f*cking stupid that is?” White added.
However, White assured his reasoning for the partnership with Bud Light “was not about money” for him regardless of what company UFC partnered with.
“We were going to end up with money 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,” he shared.
On Tuesday, he announced his partnership with Bud Light in a statement.
“Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC’s original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago. I’m proud to announce we are back in business together,” he said, per Fox News.
White continued, “There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for. I’m looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.”
This came after Bud Light was boycotted for its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April.
Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, addressed the backlash in a press release stating, “We are a beer company, and beer is for everyone.”
