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UFC's Dana White joins Meta's board of directors

drake riggs
Uncrowned
·2 min read
Dec 13, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; UFC CEO Dana White during weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Dana White is expanding his horizons after another big year in 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

UFC CEO Dana White is joining forces with Meta.

The tech giant announced Monday that White, tech investor Charlie Songhurst and Exor CEO John Elkann have been elected as Meta's latest additions to its board of directors.

“I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board," White said in a statement. "I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future. I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level.”

White, 55, has been seen publicly alongside Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg numerous times in recent years. Zuckerberg has attended multiple UFC events. Considering the various technological viewing experience ideas teased for and at UFC events since Zuckerberg's appearances, the new partnership is no surprise.

“Dana, John, and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables and the future of human connection,” Zuckerberg said.

UFC begins its 2025 campaign on Saturday by returning to its Las Vegas APEX facility for UFC Vegas 101, headlined by a strawweight contender rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. Coincidentally, Zuckerberg's first UFC visit was for Dern's clash against Yan Xiaonan in October 2022, in what was essentially a private event for the Facebook co-founder.

The list of Meta's new board of directors, including White, can be read below.

  • Mark Zuckerberg

  • Peggy Alford, former executive VP of global sales, PayPal Holdings

  • Marc L. Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz

  • John Arnold, co-founder, Arnold Ventures

  • John Elkann, CEO of Exor

  • Drew Houston, co-founder and CEO, Dropbox

  • Nancy Killefer, retired senior partner, McKinsey & Co.

  • Robert M. Kimmitt, senior international counsel at WilmerHale LLP (and Meta’s lead independent director)

  • Charlie Songhurst

  • Hock E. Tan, president and CEO, Broadcom

  • Tracey T. Travis, executive VP, senior adviser to the CEO, the Estée Lauder Companies

  • Dana White, CEO, Ultimate Fighting Championship

  • Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO, DoorDash