UFC 312: UFC boss Dana White expected to land in Sydney today

UFC president Dana White is expected to touch down in Sydney this afternoon ahead of the city’s UFC 312 pay per view event.

UFC boss Dana White is expected to arrive in Sydney today. Picture: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

UFC president Dana White is expected to touch down in Sydney this afternoon ahead of the city’s UFC 312 pay per view event between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland at Qudos Bank Arena this weekend.

The UFC’s multi-millionaire head honcho is jetting in straight from Saudi Arabia, where former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was sensationally knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov yesterday.

Over the last few years, White, 55, has transformed from the head of the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion, into one of the world’s genuine movers and shakers.

White was seated near the Clintons, George Bush and Kamala Harris at President Trump’s inauguration. Picture: Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images

A longtime friend and close confidant of President Donald Trump, White introduced the then-candidate to the stage at last year’s Republican National Convention in July.

He then gave a rousing speech at Trump’s election night victory celebration, and was a prominent figure on stage at the President’s inauguration in Washington D.C. just two weeks ago.

Big name UFC fighters including Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre, as well as longtime commentator Joe Rogan also attended some of the inauguration celebrations in the American capital.

Meanwhile, Trump has become cageside regular at UFC events.

Tump holds Jon Jones' heavyweight belt, flanked by Tulsi Gabbard (L) and Elon Musk (R) at UFC 309 in New York in November. Picture: Getty Images

In January, White joined forces with Mark Zuckerberg as he joined the board of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.

White is expected to make a low-key arrival in Sydney, and is touching down much earlier than he generally would.

The last time he was Down Under was for Sydney’s UFC 293 PPV in 2023, which also featured the controversial Strickland fighting for the middleweight title.

The UFC narrowly avoided disaster that week after Strickland revealed he punched a fan in the stomach in Bondi.

Strickland has a history of making controversial political statements, and the 33-year-old was even spoken about in New South Wales parliament ahead of his upset win over Adesanya 17 months ago.

Strickland made his own low-key arrival to Sydney on the weekend, and has stayed out of trouble with a bit of bushwalking and sight-seeing.

Originally published as UFC 312: UFC boss Dana White expected to land in Sydney today