Dana White says the UFC does not do “Pride Night” because he does not want to turn sexual orientation into a themed corporate campaign, even while acknowledging the promotion has had gay fighters and has sold Pride-themed gear in the past through its “We Are All Fighters” initiative.
White is framing the UFC’s approach as equal treatment without symbolic branding, but the company has already used Pride-month merchandise, rainbow-accented fight kits, and charity tie-ins tied to LGBTQ causes.
Dana White Draws Line on UFC Pride Nights Despite Earlier Pride-Month Push
Dana White made the comments during an appearance on “Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,” where he said, “I don’t give a s—,” added that he assumes there have been gay fighters on the roster, and said the UFC has gay female fighters while stressing that he does not care “what you are, who you are, or what you do.” In the same stretch of remarks, he pointed to a UFC shirt with Pride flag colors and said people should “do your own thing,” presenting the promotion’s stance as one of personal freedom rather than identity-based event branding.
“I’m assuming we have some gay fighters. I don’t know how many of them are open. I know we have gay female fighters. I dont give a s***. I don’t care what you are, who you are, or what you do. We have a t-shirt that says we are all fighters, and it’s got the gay flag colors on it. Everybody do your own thing.”
That line is notable because the UFC has, in fact, attached itself to Pride-related campaigns before. In June 2019, the promotion launched a monthlong “We Are All Fighters” campaign for Pride Month and said 100% of profits from its LGBTQ-themed T-shirts would be donated to GLAAD. The promotion later said that campaign raised more than $15,000 for GLAAD, which shows the company was willing at that point to connect Pride messaging with merch, fundraising, and a public-facing June campaign.
The UFC kept going with visible Pride support after that. In 2021, fighters competing during June were given the option to customize their fight kits with rainbow accents, including names displayed in rainbow colors on shorts, shirts, and walkout gear. Reports at the time said the idea grew out of a 2020 request from Tecia Torres and Raquel Pennington, and the promotion also offered fans Pride versions of the gear.
There were public examples inside the cage too. Danny Roberts said he would wear rainbow lettering on his shorts in support of Molly McCann in 2021, giving the campaign direct fighter visibility on a UFC event week. In 2022, Jeff Molina wore Pride-themed shorts at a UFC Fight Night card, then said he did it as an act of support for the LGBTQ community after taking abuse online.
The company also linked the campaign to one of its biggest stars. In 2018, UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was honored with an Equality Visibility Award, and the promotion described her as an unofficial ambassador for “We Are All Fighters,” noting that she often wore the rainbow-colored shirt that raised money and awareness for LGBT community organizations.
White‘s latest answer is less a denial of LGBTQ presence in the UFC than a rejection of the idea of a formal “Pride Night” label. The UFC has already spent years showing support through shirts, custom shorts and donations, which makes the current line sound less like a clean policy and more like a selective one about how visible that support should be.
