Dana White’s UFC Commitment Questioned

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley has questioned Dana White’s enthusiasm, noting a lack of excitement when announcing the promotion’s first two major pay-per-view events for 2026.

White’s recent fight announcements for UFC 324 and UFC 325 caught O’Malley’s attention, leading Sean to wonder if White’s passion for matchmaking is waning. UFC 324 features Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title, with some questioning if Paddy deserves this bout, especially since Arman Tsarukyan is the leading contender. UFC 325 is headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2, a rematch scheduled less than a year after Volkanovski defeated Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 314. O’Malley was surprised by White’s lack of passion when announcing the news, while Ariel Helwani also criticized the UFC’s marketing.

O’Malley Reacts

“I’m just used to Dana being excited, and turning red he’s so excited about the next fight. It’s the halftime show on Thanksgiving, so many people are watching. But I feel like it was supposed to be Paddy vs. Ilia, Ilia vs. Justin, Ilia was supposed to fight. Moving pieces, it kind of falls out, and Dana wants to see the biggest fight. I think maybe it fell through, and now he’s kind of doing [less promotion],” O’Malley said 

Granting Pimblett an interim title shot is arguably a promotional decision, not a merit-based one. Pimblett bypassed the clear number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan. Arman’s social media reaction, “Make it make sense,” encapsulates the criticism. The fight is questionable from a competitive standpoint, leaning heavily on Pimblett’s popularity to create a major headline for the Paramount+ debut.

And yet, there is another side to this. The biggest change for 2026 is the end of the traditional PPV model, with numbered events now included in the Paramount+ subscription. White’s excitement may have been focused more on the business model—telling fans, “no more pay-per-view… While the main events have flaws, the undercards are universally praised as “stacked.”