Without Dana White at the helm as its president, the UFC might have never achieved the success it has today. The fighters who have emerged throughout the generations are equally responsible, however, the polarizing UFC president cannot be discredited for his role in the growth of MMA in North America. His is a strong, confrontational personality well-suited to the corporate world.

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Unfortunately, strong personalities do not often mix well with others. And few personalities are stronger than MMA fighters. Many, therefore, have clashed with the UFC president, leading to exchanges of colorful insults and even cutting accusations that chip away at Dana's integrity as a person.

10 Frank Shamrock

The feud between Dana White and Frank Shamrock is an interesting one with fairly nebulous origins. Regardless, both individuals have traded barbs in the media, with White famously questioning Shamrock's sanity.

Shamrock, however, spoke differently of White. Puzzled by the UFC's refusal to induct him into the Hall of Fame, he called the decision into question before labeling Dana White a "total douchebag" and a "bully", an accusation echoed by many throughout the MMA world.

9 Ben Askren

While the relationship between Dana White and Ben Askren has softened since Askren's part in an entertaining series of UFC fights prior to retiring from the sport, it started off on contentious grounds.

White once rationalized his refusal to sign Ben Askren as recognizing that Askren is the world's most boring fighter. Askren, on the other hand, raved over not having to work under White, describing him as a "freaking scumbag" among other insults before finally making his way to the UFC.

8 Al Iaquinta

Former UFC lightweight, Al Iaquinta, has always been one of the sport's most outspoken fighters. Known as much for his brutal honesty as he was for his toughness in the cage, Iaquinta's issues with the UFC date as far back to his 2017 return from a medical hiatus.

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In more recent times, however, he heavily criticized Dana White's decision to return weigh-ins to their traditional afternoon schedule. Not only did Iaquinta suggest that Dana no longer has a sense of reality, but he then claimed White is endangering his own fighters by putting their health at risk in order to get more exciting fights with a higher rate of finishes; an outcome Iaquinta said was White's target because the new weigh-in schedule gives the fighters less time to recover from their weight cuts. It is an extremely damning accusation.

7 Fedor Emelianenko

Legendary MMA heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, is a fighter the UFC had chased for years. Dana White's most widely known attempt at acquiring Fedor's services was for a dream clash between the latter and Brock Lesnar. His second attempt came in 2012 as he hoped to coax Fedor out of retirement.

Both attempts failed. The reason behind Fedor's refusal to jump ship to the UFC? Dana White himself. Fedor described White as someone to whom money means everything, that the UFC president has no respect for his own fighters or any human being, and that there is nothing humane about White.

6 Colby Covington

Back in 2019, two-time UFC welterweight title challenger and one-time UFC interim champion, Colby Covington, was at the height of his campaign to fight the then-champion, Tyron Woodley, to unify the belts.

Covington's frustrations led to a public encounter with Dana White, who had time and again denied Covington's demands. In an interview later that year, Covington claimed White had denied him his title shot because of the latter refusing fights. Covington, however, countered by asserting that the UFC's own doctors refused to medically clear him for fights due to a then still healing broken nose. White's refusal to see logic, Covington said, was evidence of corruption and conspiracy. That a combat sports promoter would refuse an interim champion a rightful title shot over illegitimate reasons is an extremely heavy accusation.

5 Matt Riddle

Long before achieving pro-wrestling success as one-half of the RK-Bro tag team with Randy Orton, Matt Riddle was an exciting UFC prospect for whom the MMA world had high hopes. Said to have once pinned Jon Jones in a high school wrestling match, expectations were tangible.

Riddle, however, was ultimately cut from the UFC for failing two drug tests in quick succession. White has since dismissed him in every interview, while Riddle went on to lament that the UFC is run by a president he described as an insecure bald man who uses testosterone replacement therapy.

4 Randy Couture

There is no love lost between Randy Couture and Dana White. As a fighter who fought for ancillary rights when under UFC contract, he quickly found himself on the wrong side of White's wrath.

So, in his later years, when he offered his former employer a litany of chances to hire him for a more significant role in the company than broadcasting, he was turned away. When details of this dispute went public, the UFC—a week later—hired Matt Hughes in a significant role; all of which, Couture asserts, is White's doing as a slap in the face.

3 Demetrious Johnson

One of the most under-promoted champions in UFC history, former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is one of the most skilled fighters of all time. Unfortunately, his relationship with the UFC turned sour, and when the details became public, the damage was irreparable.

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According to Johnson, not only did Dana White refuse him any PPV points after the Ray Borg fight, but also turned down his suggestion of fighting Cody Garbrandt. Worse still, Johnson claims that White then angrily demanded that he fight TJ Dillashaw instead and that if he refused, he'd shut down the entire UFC flyweight division over Johnson's part in robbing TJ of an opportunity to win a second belt.

2 Mark Hunt

One of the UFC's scariest knockout artists in the pre-Ngannou era, Mark Hunt was known for his brutal power, granite chin, and walk-off knockouts. At UFC 200, he was scheduled to fight Brock Lesnar in the latter's octagon return.

Hunt lost the bout via unanimous decision, being largely outwrestled from bell to bell. Days later, Lesnar was revealed to have failed a pre-fight drug test, sparking Hunt's rage. Not only did Hunt claim that White and the UFC brass knew of Lesnar's drug test failure, but that they also attempted to cover it up, so the fight would progress undisturbed.

1 Brendan Schaub

Retired MMA fighter-turned-comedian, Brendan Schaub, is most famous not for his time as a UFC heavyweight, but as a close friend of Joe Rogan's on the wrong side of a Rogan tirade, wherein he vehemently asserted that Schaub was not an elite fighter. Yet, his relationship with Rogan is nothing but amicable.

Schaub and Dana White, however, frequently butt heads. Perhaps the most cutting thing Schaub has ever said about the UFC president is calling him his "Eskimo brother", a term used to refer to another man who has slept with the same woman that the man using said term has. In Schaub's case, the woman he was implying was Ronda Rousey, a former girlfriend. White has been accused of sleeping with ring girls and female fighters in the past. It is a serious blow to his reputation and integrity not only as a married man but as a combat sports promoter. It brings into question whether he uses his position of power to sexually exploit the women he employs.