Former UFC Champions Reveal Ruthless Way Dana White Handles Fighter Injuries

Two former champions shared stories that don't paint a flattering picture of the UFC boss.

Former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have both revealed that disclosing injuries to Dana White doesn't exactly make the UFC CEO any more sympathetic about a poor performance. 

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“Rampage” first made a name for himself in MMA through his success competing in legendary Japanese promotion PRIDE. Jackson joined the UFC in 2007 and claimed the light heavyweight title in his third fight before losing it to Forrest Griffin, and he later went on to challenge Jon Jones for the belt at UFC 135.

The 45-year-old is one of the most recognizable fighters in MMA history, but apparently his success in the UFC meant little to White when Jackson gave him a heads up about a pre-fight injury. 

(Bellator MMA)

“I think I fell out with Dana when I lost to Ryan Bader in Japan,” Jackson told Woodley on the JAXXON Podcast. “I got injured before that fight and I called Dana right away. I said ‘Man, I got a partial tear in my meniscus.’ He said ‘What are you gonna do?’ I said ‘S*** man, it’s Japan. I still wanna fight.’…So I went there and I fought, and I lost by decision. First thing Dana [does] in the press conference is like ‘I don’t know what’s going on with Rampage. I don’t think he has it, I don’t think he wants it anymore.’”

“Rampage” only competed once more for the UFC after the Bader loss before he moved on to Bellator, although he did return to the promotion for a one-off fight at UFC 186 where he won a decision over Fabio Maldonado.

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Woodley’s reign as UFC champion lasted significantly longer than Jackson’s did, but “The Chosen One” also shared his own story of informing White about an injury before being criticized in a post-fight press conference.

(Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

“The same way you feel right now, I had the – you’re still burning a little bit, right?” Woodley asked Jackson. “[Dana knew] good and well, I f***ing told [him]. But now you’re gonna sit here and - You know good and well I told you I tore my labrum against Demian Maia, and you just told everybody that nobody wants to watch me fight.”

A 2017 meeting with Demian Maia at UFC 214 saw “The Chosen One” defeat the legendary grappler via unanimous decision. Woodley defended his welterweight title a total of four times before closing out his UFC career with four-straight losses, and after leaving the promotion he went on to box Jake Paul twice. 

The 41-year-old was one of the more successful UFC champions in recent memory that rarely seemed to get along with White. Aljamain Sterling also struggled to earn favor with the UFC CEO during his reign with the bantamweight title, and just recently “Funk Master” claimed that White was happy to see him lose his belt to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292.

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