Dana White Lifts Major UFC Ban: "It Drove Me Crazy"

UFC fighters are no longer restricted by the old policy

Zain Bando | Oct 8, 2023

Dana White Lifts Major UFC Ban: "It Drove Me Crazy" /

UFC CEO Dana White has put an end to a major ban.

Since its inception, the UFC has always been known as a free-spirited company, as many political, religious, and societal views are fair game among the athletes.

The largest MMA organization had taken precautions against fighters sporting their nation's flags for over a year, temporarily banning them due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict and other factors.

While White was in Wyoming on vacation during Noche UFC, the promotion's first event to take place during Mexican Independence Day, the 54-year-old quickly realized how vital the globalization of MMA is, going in a different direction.

A UFC flag ban for fighter entrances is now a thing of the past.

Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko raise their arms in unison after their rematch was ruled a split draw Sept. 16 in Las Vegas, Nev / © Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

"The no flag thing drove me crazy," White said during the UFC Vegas 80 post-fight scrum. "I was like, 'Yeah, f*** that. We're bringing flags back.'"

White said sometimes, changes are made for the right reasons at the time but can continuously be tweaked in some way. The return of flags is one of those scenarios.

"There's a lot of things that go on in a company this big," White said. "You can't micromanage everything. And sometimes, these things are done for the intensions of the right reasons and whatever. Everybody in this room knows the way that I feel about a lot of things. Basically, I don't give a f*** is the answer to most things. Everybody's too soft. Everybody's too sensative about everything."

White added he doesn't care about anyone's opinions about bringing the flags back, whether it may have been the fans' encouragement across social media or the promotion's decision.

"...Flags are back," White said. "If any flags hurt your feelings, too f***ing bad."

UFC Vegas 80 saw Bobby Green upset Grant Dawson in under a minute in the night's main event, adding to the colossal changes across the promotion. The UFC will stay in Las Vegas for another week before heading to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294 on Oct. 21.

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Published Oct 8, 2023

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99