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WATCH: Rey Mysterio Gifts Dana White Custom Noche UFC Mask

It was an incredible night for fight fans, Mysterio, and Mexican culture.

Dariel Figueroa

wwe.com

UFC held its highest-grossing event in history on Saturday at The Sphere in Las Vegas. UFC 306 was dubbed Noche UFC. In the lead-up to the event, Dana White told media that the MMA organization's first foray into the epic arena would be a celebration of Mexican fighters past and present.

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WWE Raw Superstar Rey Mysterio was an honored guest at Noche UFC--the legendary luchador is both a Mexican hero and an employee of TKO Group, which also owns UFC. After the historic fight card ended, Mysterio gifted White the custom Noche UFC mask he wore in attendance. The touching moment was captured on film and posted on Instagram.

In Mexico, masks are a special and integral component of the country's wrestling heritage. The symbology of lucha masks dates back to the Aztecs, who wore masks in ceremonies. In the 1950s, El Santo helped popularize the masked wrestler, becoming both a pro wrestling superstar and a national icon.

Many Mexican wrestlers begin their careers under a custom mask with references to Mexican history and their lucha libre predecessors. Luchadors protect their masked identity and can be seen wearing them outside wrestling arenas. When a luchador is unmasked, many times in mask vs mask bouts, he'll hand over his mask to the winner. The loser usually evolves his name and character, the masked alter ego banished.

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Rey Mysterio taking his lucha mask off and handing it to UFC President Dana White is not simply a gift, but rather a ceremonial show of respect and gratitude with deep cultural significance. In the video, you can hear White recognize the importance of the mask. "I really appreciate that. I'm honored," White says.

What an incredible moment.

Oh, and Rey's no-good son "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio was also in attendance.

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Published
Dariel Figueroa

DARIEL FIGUEROA

Dariel Figueroa joined On SI and The Takedown in 2024. He previously served as senior features writer at Uproxx, and has written for Heavy, Fansided, and Paste. Figueroa graduated with a double bachelor’s from Rowan University in journalism and multimedia production, respectively. You can follow him on X (fmr. Twitter) @figgyflow.

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