Dana White, UFC CEO, isn’t messing around when it comes to protecting the integrity of the fights and those who compete in them. Saturday night was a mammoth evening for White and the promotion in its Las Vegas homebase.
This past weekend’s UFC 324 served as the opening event on the UFC’s 2026 schedule of events and the first card in a seven-year, $7.7 billion (USD) media rights deal between the company and Paramount Plus. The contract was inked last summer and brought an end to seven years of UFC events on Disney-owned ESPN+.
Thus, it stands to reason why Dana White wishes to be extra careful when dipping his toes into these new waters. Saturday afternoon, amid the excitement of fight night at T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV, the CEO of the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world made a critical executive decision.
In the final hours before UFC 324 was to have begun, reports indicated that the planned lightweight undercard contest matching Michael Johnson (24-19 MMA, 16-15 UFC) with Alexander Hernandez (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) would be removed from the schedule. This was the fourth fight to be postponed from UFC 324 in Enterprise.
At the time of the postponement coming across the wires, no specific reason for the 11th-hour cancellation was given. As Saturday gave way to Sunday, however, fans of the sport received a concrete answer for Dana White’s decision-making.
During White’s media availability following Saturday night’s card, the topic of the postponed Johnson vs. Hernandez tilt came up, with the CEO revealing that the decision was made to call off the fight because of unusual changes in betting odds. He harkened back to a similar issue cropping up this past fall as his rationale for the move.
Dana White Brings Isaac Dulgarian Controversy to Forefront in Explanation of Johnson vs. Hernandez Cancellation
Back on Nov. 1, a featherweight contest matching Isaac Dulgarian (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with Yadier del Valle (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) went ahead during UFC Vegas 112 at the UFC Apex in Enterprise. Inside the first round of a scheduled three, del Valle locked in a rear-naked choke submission to score the victory.
In the aftermath of del Valle’s win, questions were raised over the authenticity of the fight due to abnormal shifts in wagering patterns for the latter fighter, prompting Dana White to touch base with federal authorities. Issac Dulgarian found himself out of a UFC roster spot later that week and is still suspended from competition by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
When explaining the decision to remove the Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez contest from the bout order, White referenced the fight from November.
“That’s what it is. [It] happened again,” Dana White told the assembled press backstage at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. “We got called from the gaming integrity service and I said ‘I’m not doing this (expletive deleted) again,’ so we pulled the fight.”
Feds Already Investigating Laundry List of Past Fights for Integrity Violations
As of the post-fight press conference on Saturday evening, Dana White had no new information to give about the cancelled fight other than what he had already mentioned at the podium during his comments. In the aftermath of the issues raised with the Issac Dulgarian vs. Yadier del Valle contest from November, authorities have started to investigate betting patterns from previous fights.
The UFC CEO mentioned that the postponed fight from Saturday night is likely to be the latest addition to the fights being investigated.
“The FBI is already deep into all this stuff, anyway,” he said, “so I’m sure this one will be next.”
Final Thoughts: Dana White Should Be Commended for Swift Actions Saturday
When a high-level employee of a company is forced to make a crucial decision, like Dana White did on Saturday afternoon leading up to UFC 324 in Las Vegas, the stakes are high. This decision was all the more critical given that it came right on the doorstep of the first show of the new partnership between the UFC and Paramount Plus.
No one at a company should waste time hemming and hawing over a decision that could have major ramifications in relation to its future. Dana White didn’t hesitate one bit in making the call to cancel the Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez fight at UFC 324.
Given that White has already discussed matters of integrity in fights with the FBI a few months ago, he made the right decision at the right moment before anything got out of hand. Had the decision not been made, he’d have faced another media circus, something he does not want, much less need, right now.
It’s easy to criticize Dana White for anything imaginable as it relates to the UFC. This time, however, he made a smart move.
