At first glance, that headline might seem shocking. After all, Dana White is arguably the UFC’s second biggest name, right behind Conor McGregor. White is, in essence, the UFC. He defines the company and has been a steadying force through many eras of fighters. The idea of White stepping away from the company would surprise fans around the world, but it’s more realistic than it seems. With his recent announcement of TKO Boxing, there’s been speculation about his imminent retirement from the UFC, or at the very least, him taking a backseat within the company.
When asked about giving away some responsibilities, White said “We’re gonna find out this year. This year is gonna be the, we are gonna find out this year, we’ll see how long I can run this hard.”
White, who’s held the position that he would never retire, has suddenly changed his tune to a “we’ll see.”
Now, all of this is speculative, but something to keep in mind. Even if White retained his position as President of the UFC, he could potentially be passing off his promotion responsibilities, or at least lightening his load. The question then becomes, who is to replace him?
Enter the Bad Guy.
Anyone who’s followed the UFC over the past fifteen years is likely familiar with the name Chael Sonnen. The Bad Guy became one of the most popular fighters in UFC history due to his on-mic talent and personality. Sonnen has amassed 976,000 followers on Instagram. For reference, that’s more than champions Aljamain Sterling, Glover Texiera, and Alexandre Pantoja.
Sonnen has built a cult-like following in the MMA world, as shown in the clip below:
Although he never won UFC gold, Sonnen remains one of the sport’s most recognizable names.
If White was planning on shelling out promoting responsibilities, even just for smaller-scale Fight Nights, it would make sense to appoint a name many fans are already familiar with.
A lot of former fighters have name value, but none of them have the charisma and on-mic personality of the American Gangster. Sonnen’s post-fight interviews are legendary bits of MMA history, and will never be replicated.
Before McGregor, there was Sonnen:
The best part of Sonnen’s trash talk? It was entirely family-friendly. This would be necessary for an MMA promoter, as they’d have to keep promotions PG-13.
Sonnen’s persona is the stuff of legends and is perfect for being a promoter.
One of the first knocks on this idea is going to be that Sonnen has no MMA promotion experience. Simply put, that’s not true. Chael Sonnen’s Wrestling Underground is an amateur submission grappling and wrestling promotion. He is the head promoter of and owner of the company, showcasing that he has at least some experience in running a promotion.
Additionally, Sonnen has stayed involved with the UFC, frequenting ESPN and hosting his own podcast covering recent developments in MMA. This year, he’s set to host The Ultimate Fighter 33 alongside podcast co-host Daniel Cormier.
While it might sound like fantasy, this isn’t just fan-fiction. There’s some precedent to it.
Back in 2014, White said himself that Sonnen would be “fantastic” as his replacement. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall also mentioned Sonnen’s name when asked who he thought could replace his boss. Many other fans and fighters have speculated that ‘The American Gangster’ could be a perfect replacement for White.
Overall, this idea is built off some solid framework and precedent, as well as being endorsed by White.
In conclusion, this piece is mostly theoretical—but it’s a fun idea that’s rooted in some real-world logic. When the day comes for Dana White to hang up his proverbial gloves, the UFC should have Chael Sonnen on speed dial.
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