Flagrant Podcast Summary: "Dana White on FBI Gambling Ring, White House Fight, & Francis Ngannou Beef Explained"

Date: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schulz, Akaash Singh, AlexxMedia, Mark Gagnon
Guest: Dana White (UFC President)

Episode Overview

In this unfiltered, high-energy episode of Flagrant, Dana White returns to the couch for a wide-ranging, candid discussion. From the unprecedented UFC event planned at the White House, to addressing FBI investigations into gambling within the sport, Dana pulls no punches. He dishes on the challenges of promoting fights in an era of fragmented attention, offers behind-the-scenes stories about Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Francis Ngannou, and talks openly about his relationship with Donald Trump, the future of boxing, and the strategy behind maintaining UFC’s global dominance. Throughout, Schulz and the gang keep the conversation spicy, irreverent, and insightful.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. UFC at the White House: Logistics and Vision

• [00:00–06:24] Dana reveals ongoing logistics for staging a UFC event on the White House lawn, spearheaded by President Trump.
  • Fighters will make their walkouts from the Oval Office for maximum spectacle.
  • The White House itself will serve as the fight’s iconic backdrop, with no expense spared on the aesthetic.
  • Most attendees will be members of the military: “That is the plan. The president wants to do it for the military.” (Dana, [05:56])
  • Event will be privately funded: “We’re paying for everything, the government isn’t paying for anything.” (Dana, [04:48])
  • Dana’s goal: "This will be the most watched fight of all time." ([06:20])

2. Fighter Booking and Dream Matchups

• [06:42–08:13] Discussion of booking stars like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor for the White House card.
  • Dana emphasizes he hasn't made decisions yet and the card will be “what the fans want to see...the dream, what people expect to be at the White House.” ([08:13])
  • On Jon Jones: “I can't put Jon Jones in a position where he can, you know..." referencing the risk if Jones pulls out or the card is jeopardized. ([06:45])
  • On McGregor: "You can say whatever you want about Conor. Conor’s been that guy, you know." ([07:35])

3. Boxing vs. UFC and Bringing Order to Boxing

• [01:14–01:30], [26:16–33:54]
  • Dana critiques ‘Saudi money’ distorting sports economics and the unsustainable “every single fight for sale” model in boxing.
  • His ambition: “rip it apart and build it from the ground up” with a UFC-style format in boxing, reducing belts and creating clear stakes.
  • “There’s too many belts...I don't give a shit about the Dodgers and the Blue Jays...But if it’s Game 7, there’s so much at stake and people start giving a shit.” ([35:38–36:23])
  • UFC’s model keeps fans invested, starting from the prelims due to better matchmaking and clear stakes.

4. Monoculture, Fragmented Attention, and Modern Promotion

• [27:01–33:54]
  • Panel discusses the demise of monoculture: there’s so much content, people no longer experience big events together, e.g. summer blockbuster movies.
  • Dana observes movies lack “must-see” status now—“I don’t even know when new movies come out, dude.” ([29:35])
  • Relates to fighting: “How do you get people to care about a fight? What’s at stake?” Main job as a promoter is building stakes for viewers.

5. Addressing the FBI Gambling Investigation and Sports Integrity

• [00:39; 65:02–70:00]
  • Dana tells the story of contacting the FBI directly when a betting system spotted “irregular shit” on a recent fight: “I literally went in the back and called the FBI.” ([00:39], [67:38])
  • Only two fights flagged, contrary to internet clickbait.
  • Dana’s uncompromising stance: “I will be the one that will bury you. I will bury you.” ([67:40])
  • He supports legalized, regulated gambling for its transparency: “The more data you can collect, the better. Now, everything gets flagged.”
  • Fighters caught fixing fights will be banned and face federal prison.

6. Dana White on Gambling and Las Vegas Casinos

• [98:45–104:10]
  • Shares notorious tales of Las Vegas casinos limiting his action despite promises, and his ongoing personal “war” with Bellagio (“I have not lost since September 1st.” [100:41]), and why he avoids gambling at the Wynn.
  • “If you fuck around with those fucking casinos, you’re crazy. You might as well go out back and light your money on fire.” ([99:33])

7. Behind the Scenes: Fighters, Beefs, and the UFC Business

• Francis Ngannou Beef ([55:33–59:44]):

  • Dana claims: “Francis Ngannou is a bad guy. He tries to come off like he's a nice guy. No, there's no fucking language barrier with this guy. He's a bad guy. I told my guys I wanted to cut him early.” ([55:43, 57:32])
  • Shares stories of Ngannou allegedly grabbing Dana and another UFC exec aggressively over contract disputes.
  • On why he doesn’t air dirty laundry: “It's not something you just run around talking about...you got to keep, what is it, family politics with the family.” ([76:00])

• Jon Jones & Conor McGregor ([50:10–51:49]):

  • Even withdrawn from a marquee fight, Dana praises Jones: “Jon Jones is the greatest of all fucking time. It’s not like Jon Jones has done so many great things for my business...Jon Jones is the fucking greatest of all time.” ([50:53, 50:57])
  • McGregor’s reliability praised: “Conor’s been that guy, you know.” ([07:35])

8. Building and Identifying Superstar Fighters

• [80:53–84:09]
  • What Dana looks for: “The key is when you find somebody…Can he be a world champion? That’s the…if you want to find these kids, male or female, that you think have the potential to be world champions…” (Dana, [81:50])
  • How Ronda Rousey changed the game for women in MMA: “She opened the door for women. It would have never happened [otherwise].” ([84:13])
  • How backlash turned to triumph when Ronda headlined a card.

9. The Power (and Simplicity) of Power Slap

• [92:22–94:29]
  • Dana’s bullish on Power Slap as the next global viral combat entertainment: “Power Slap will be bigger than the UFC…everybody understands a fucking slap.” ([92:22])
  • Analytics: 30 million followers in three years, massive views with every post.

10. The Nature of Fighting and Dana’s Operational Mindset

• [46:39–47:17, 77:21–78:25]
  • “Every day I get out of bed I strap the shit on, and I go in and go to war.” ([46:39])
  • Never resting on laurels: “You can’t be living on what you did yesterday. You gotta prove yourself every day.” ([77:15])

11. Political Loyalty, Media, and Interactions with Trump

• [11:05–13:22, 19:05–24:53]
  • Dana expresses unwavering loyalty to Trump, citing personal kindness, loyalty, and stories (including dinners with Bill Maher and Kid Rock at the White House.)
  • Candid about the scrutiny: “Do you find it difficult to even say that now? Because everything around him is so radioactive? I’ve been saying it for 10 years. It’s always been that way.” ([12:11])
  • Says Trump is personally charming and that anyone dining with him would “laugh your fucking ass off for 45 minutes.” ([19:05])

12. Fighter Safety in Boxing vs. UFC

• [61:11–63:14]
  • UFC spends heavily on fighter health and safety to avoid serious injury or death. “In almost 30 years, there’s never been a death or serious injury [in UFC]. In boxing, three, four, five guys die a year.” ([61:11])
  • Prevention includes mandatory MRIs, regular doctor checks, and pulling fighters from cards if issues are flagged before an event.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On White House UFC Event:
  “I don’t give a shit what this structure costs. I want to see the White House.” – Dana White ([04:17])

• On Gambling Regulation and Sports Integrity:
  “I called the FBI. I called the FBI. It’s like, it’s so crazy.” ([68:42])

• On Francis Ngannou:
  "Francis Ngannou is a bad guy. He’s not a good guy. He plays the whole, 'I don’t understand the language,' and tries to come off like he’s a fucking nice guy...There’s no fucking language barrier with this guy. He’s a bad guy." ([55:43])

• On Being a Fighter:
  “Every day I get out of bed and I strap the shit on and I go to war.” ([46:39])

• On Jon Jones:
  "He's the greatest of all fucking time...Jon Jones is the fucking greatest of all time." ([50:53], [50:57])

• On Promoter’s Duty:
  “What I’m always selling is what’s at stake here…If I’m not invested, why? It’s like a movie—if I miss this movie in the theaters, in two weeks it will be streaming. What's at stake?” ([35:34], [36:38])

• On Never Getting Comfortable:
  "You can't be living on what you did yesterday. You gotta prove yourself every day." ([77:15])

• On Power Slap:
  “Power Slap will be bigger than the UFC…everybody understands a fucking slap.” ([92:22])

• On the Casino Business:
  "If you fuck around with those fucking casinos, you’re crazy. You know what I mean? You might as well go out back and light your money on fucking fire." ([99:33])

Major Timestamps

• 00:00–06:24 – White House UFC event vision/logistics
• 26:16–36:38 – Rethinking boxing: new model, stakes in sports
• 50:10–52:11 – Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and the “GOAT” debate
• 55:33–59:44 – Francis Ngannou beef explained
• 61:11–63:14 – Comparing health/safety: UFC vs Boxing
• 65:02–68:42 – Gambling ring flagged, calling in FBI
• 77:21–78:25 – Never resting on past wins, daily pressure
• 92:22–94:29 – Power Slap’s rise and global appeal
• 98:45–104:10 – Las Vegas casinos, Dana’s war stories

Final Thoughts

This episode typifies Flagrant: brash, uncensored, and loaded with candid industry insights. Dana White comes across as relentless, self-aware, and strategic—committed to keeping UFC on top and unafraid of fighting entrenched interests in boxing, Vegas, or Washington. Listeners hear both the high-level business strategy and the gritty stories fueling one of sport’s most interesting empires.