UFC president Dana White is now on the board of directors at Meta.
UFC president Dana White has joined Meta’s board of directors.
The tech giant – which is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp – has unveiled its new recruits for 2025, including the CEO of the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion firm Ultimate Fighting Championship.
White is joined by John Elkann, the CEO of Exor – the holding company controlled by the Agnelli family, which also holds a controlling stake in Ferrari, CNH Industrial, Iveco Group, Juventus FC, and The Economist Group – and Meta’s advisor and former Microsoft Corp. executive Charlie Songhurst.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg said: “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.”
White said: “I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board. 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.”
Elkann commented: “I am honoured to be able to contribute to the future of one of the most significant companies of the 21st century.
“I look forward to bringing my global experience and long-term perspective to the board as Meta continues to shape and push the next frontiers of innovation and technology.”
Songhurst added: “As part of Meta’s advisory group, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities to scale new products and grow AI and enterprise capabilities, and I’m honoured to be asked to join the board to further this work.”
Zuckerberg has a keen interest in mixed martial arts (MMA) and has attended many UFC events over the years.
In 2023, when Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and the Meta CEO were planning to battle it out with a cage fight, White claimed that the bout between the business rivals could have generated as much as $1 billion.
During an appearance on the ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson’ podcast, he shared: “It’s real. They do want to fight.
“It’s real … It’s funny because we were talking about the Colosseum for that fight and I actually did have a meeting with the Minister of Culture’s team in Italy to actually hold that fight in the Colosseum if it would happen. We’re talking.”
He added: “I think this thing does a billion dollars in revenue. A billion dollars.”
Musk pledged to donate money from the fight to military veterans and pediatric hospitals.
However, they failed to make it happen.
UFC president Dana White joins Meta’s board of directors
