The Ultimate Fighting Championship may look different in 2025 compared to its glory days of mainstream icons, but UFC CEO Dana White insists there’s no need for concern.
In recent years, some of the sport’s biggest names have stepped away. Conor McGregor, the biggest pay-per-view draw in UFC history, hasn’t fought in years. Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar returned to professional wrestling long ago. Jon Jones remains active but his career is nearing its final stages, while Nate Diaz left the roster to pursue outside ventures.
That leaves the next wave of talent — champions like Sean O’Malley, Ilia Topuria, and Alex Pereira — in position to become the faces of the company. However, critics argue that none of them have yet broken into the mainstream the way McGregor, Rousey, or Lesnar once did.
Dana White pushes back on “star problem” narrative
Speaking on Logan Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast, White was firm in rejecting the idea that UFC is suffering from a lack of superstars.
“That narrative has been around since f—king – I was hearing this shit about Chuck Liddell leaving and Georges St-Pierre. ‘What are you going to do?’ People nonstop talk shit,” White said. “You just started this interview talking to me about a $7.7 billion dollar TV deal. I could go through the metrics of this business from top to bottom.”
White stressed that people outside the industry misunderstand how UFC operates and why it continues to thrive.
“The problem is that literally nobody knows anything about this f—king business. They all have an opinion, but they don’t know jack shit,” White continued. “The UFC just signed this deal. We’ve got Power Slap. We’ve got boxing. You’ve got three of the biggest fights in boxing history — I was a part of two of them, and I’ve only done two. There’s a formula to the stuff. So when I listen to shit like ‘we have a superstar problem’ or we have a this problem or a that problem, my response to that is: ‘Believe me when I f—king tell you, we have no problems.’”
UFC’s business continues to grow
Financially, White’s words are backed by numbers. The company has repeatedly shattered live gate records in 2025, and it recently secured a landmark $7.7 billion broadcast agreement with Paramount that will begin in 2026. Under that deal, the traditional pay-per-view model will be phased out in the United States.
Historically, McGregor has dominated the box office, holding eight of the top 10 UFC pay-per-view records, including the four highest-selling events ever. But White maintains that UFC’s appeal extends beyond one or two big names.
Still, some observers point out that while UFC continues to dominate financially, its cultural footprint feels different without the star power of past eras. Rousey, Lesnar, and McGregor captured mainstream attention in ways that fighters like O’Malley and Topuria are still striving to achieve.
For White, however, that criticism doesn’t hold weight. The UFC machine, he argues, is stronger than any individual name.
With its new television era approaching, UFC now has the chance to showcase its next generation of athletes to an even larger audience. Whether any fighter will reach the level of superstardom of McGregor or Rousey remains to be seen.
