Fans Outraged With Dana White's Reaction to UFC GOAT's Retirement

UFC Boss Dana White raised eyebrows with his reaction to Demetrious Johnson's retirement.

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UFC CEO Dana White has been accused of historical revisionism after his bold reaction to Demetrious Johnson's MMA retirement after ONE 168.

Johnson is widely regarded as a top-three pound-for-pound talent in MMA history. 'Mighty Mouse' terrorized the UFC flyweight division from 2012 to 2017, picking up 11 title defenses, the longstanding official record.

In the eyes of many fans, Johnson is on par with Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre for UFC's greatest of all time (GOAT).

Dana White Reacts to Demetrious Johnson's Retirement

When Grind City Media's John Morgan asked Dana White for his thoughts on the retirement and whether Johnson deserved a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, White's response raised a few eyebrows.

"If we can go back to when he was here [in the UFC], I was defending him from the fans," White remarked. "Who's defended Demetrious Johnson more than me? Yeah, no, good for him. Incredible career he's had. I've never had a problem with Demetrious Johnson. ... Absolutely [we see him in the UFC Hall of Fame]."

White's reaction has been branded as 'revisionist history' by online fans, who remember White and Johnson's dicey relationship when Johnson was still the UFC flyweight champion.

Thats revisionist history he did have a problem with DJ, the problem may not have been personal but he didnt like DJ’s fight style/persona. He paid DJ lower than other champs, he made him the headliners of fight nights & not PPVs and he also wanted to close down the FLW division

— The Combat Sports Matrixer (@TheCSMatrixer) September 8, 2024

Johnson's Rocky History With White & the UFC

The tense relationship between Johnson and White stems primarily from Johnson's underwhelming business performance and the challenges White and the UFC Brass faced in promoting him.

Despite being a dominant champion, Johnson was at the helm of some of the worst-performing pay-per-views in modern UFC history, which White confidently admitted in an interview with TMZ in 2017. Johnson had also previously wanted money upfront instead of wagering his payslip on PPV points - which wasn't a guaranteed amount of money.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The drama culminated in the ill-fated T.J. Dillashaw vs. Johnson fight, which was an effort from the UFC to bring some attention to the waning flyweight division.

"I think a fight between him and T.J. Dillashaw would be something that people would actually be interested in and could sell Pay-Per-Views and could make money," White told TMZ. "But he absolutely refuses to fight the guy. It's ridiculous."

Johnson and the UFC couldn't come to terms, and Johnson later released a statement accusing the UFC of 'bullying' him and threatening to close down the flyweight division if he didn't fight Dillashaw.

"Unfortunately, UFC’s mistreatment and bullying has finally forced me to speak out," Johnson said. "... After telling Dana my reasons, Dana angrily told me that I am fighting TJ, once again. ... He went on further to say that if I didn’t take the fight against TJ, and drop Borg as the opponent, he would get rid of the entire flyweight division."

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Johnson later revealed his lofty demands for the Dillashaw fight, including a $1M purse and the possibility of fighting for Dillashaw's 135 lbs. belt if he didn't make weight. Though, White did go on to say he never threatened Johnson with the flyweight division's closure.

"Never once did I threaten him to shut down the division,” White told TMZ. “I told him that we had been talking about shutting down the division for years. He knows that.”

Johnson never fought Dillashaw, but he broke the record for consecutive title defenses by defeating Ray Borg at UFC 216. He later lost his flyweight title to Henry Cejudo, who went on to fight and knock out Dillashaw at flyweight shortly after. Today, the flyweight division remains alive and thriving.

Henry Cejudo is declared the winner by decision and is the new Flyweight champion against Demetrious Johnson during UFC 227 at Staples Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In 2018, the UFC traded Johnson for ONE Championship's Ben Askren, a move Johnson described as a win for everyone. The UFC benefited greatly from Askren's viral five-second knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal, while Johnson expanded his star power as the bantamweight champion in ONE Championship.

In retrospect, Johnson and White's relationship was strained from a business perspective, never personal. 'Mighty Mouse' was the face of 'The Ultimate Fighter 24', and admits that he received "the same type of media exposure" as stars like Sean O'Malley; it "just didn't translate over to the PPV buys."

As for defending Johnson, White has gone on record calling Johnson the pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the world and acknowledged that Johnson "never really got the love and the respect that he deserved from the fans" after departing from the UFC.

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