Dana White calls recent comments about fighter benefits plan a misunderstanding: “I actually responded to the wrong guy”

UFC president Dana White says recent comments about fighter benefits were a misunderstanding, saying “I actually responded to the wrong guy.”

White recently responded to a comment on an Instagram post where a fan asked him if the UFC was considering a full-time benefits package for its athletes, and the UFC president responded positively when asked the question. Here’s how that exchange went down.

Fan: “Will the ufc ever offer their fighters full time health benefits so they can have them after their careers are over and possibly deal with life altering issues from fighting”

White: “Soon”

It appears as though White spoke too soon about these comments. Speaking to Farah Hannoun of UFC Arabia, White was asked if he could share any more details about the fighter benefits plan, but he couldn’t. According to White, it was a misunderstanding and he was actually trying to reply to someone else when he responded to the benefits question.

Long-term health coverage for UFC fighters won't be coming "soon." pic.twitter.com/uprQzK5eLw

— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) June 8, 2021

“Yeah, that wasn’t a Q&A. That was on Instagram. I actually responded to the wrong guy when I said ‘soon.’ That was wrong, actually. I actually noticed that later that I said ‘soon’ but it was on the wrong post. I wasn’t talking to that guy, it was somebody else,” White said.

This is obviously disappointing news for the fighters, many of who were surprised and excited by White’s recent comments indicating that health benefits were coming to them. Instead, it appears as though these benefits are still a far distance away. It’s not the news that the fighters want to hear as they could all use these sorts of benefits, but hopefully, in the future, the UFC will be able to introduce these health benefits for its athletes.

Do you think Dana White and the UFC should bring in a benefits package for the fighters?