UFC 284 press conference just concluded. All the major stars from the main card were present on the stage. Randy Brown, Jack Della Maddalena, Josh Emmett, Yair Rodriguez, Alexander Volkanovski, and Islam Makhachev graced the stage with their presence. Naturally, Volkanovski and Maddalena got the biggest cheers from the crowd being the home fighters. However, the most glaring absence was from Dana White.
UFC President Dana White did not conduct the press conference. Instead, fan-favorite commentator, Jon Anik, ran the show. It looks like he is increasingly becoming more of a permanent fixture in the press conferences. Dana was absent for both UFC 280 and UFC 281 press conferences. However, Dana was present for the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas, as it was the last PPV of 2022.
2023 kicked off with UFC 283 in Brazil. Although the event did not have a pre-fight media junket, Dana skipped the show entirely. He did not travel with his team for the inaugural 2023 PPV. Although there was no official reason behind his absence, fans did their best to make an educated guess. Many assumed he missed the event in light of a video of him slapping his wife emerged.
Will Dana White be present in Australia for UFC 284?
Not just the altercation with his wife, but Dana White is also facing a major backlash for his latest business venture. His Power Slap League has also been a subject of controversy in recent months. Ever since the show aired, fans expressed their discomfort about the sport. The viral knockouts from the slaps prompted several combat sports figures to condemn the endeavor.
So it looks like Dana is staying low till all the heat blows over. Recently he was seen promoting UFC events during the press events for the upcoming Super Bowl 2023. During an appearance on “The Doug Gottlieb Show,” he spoke about Conor McGregor’s return to the TUF house and compared it with Dwayne Johnson’s return to the WWE. It looks like Dana will be quite busy with the show too.
In a recent press conference, Dana revealed that he will meet with the coaches on the Monday after Super Bowl. This year’s mega NFL event takes place on February 2023. With the UFC PPV being the day prior to Super Bowl, it seems like Dana is going to skip the event. It means that the UFC will miss both PPVs in 2023 so far. But it is important to note that there is no official confirmation on the matter.
Do you think Dana White will be present at the UFC 284 event in Perth? Let us know in the comments down below.