In August 2023, a massive wildfire broke out in Hawaii, affecting the lives of hundreds of people. Although several areas were affected, Maui was the most severely hit, forcing residents to evacuate their homes. Tragically, many also lost their lives in the process. After a long struggle, the fire was eventually contained, but the damage left behind was long-lasting, leaving many people homeless. In contrast, many prominent personalities from the combat sports world stepped in to help. But it was Max Holloway, supported by Dana White, who took the lead in initiating crucial developments in the affected areas.  

Before his fight against Korean Zombie, ‘Blessed’ took an excellent step. In collaboration with UFC CEO Dana White, he designed “UFC Love Hawaii” T-shirts to raise funds and awareness for the cause. On top of that, the promotion also donated $1 million to the people affected by the fire. And that wasn’t all. Even former Bellator flyweight champ, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, went on to raise over $2.6 million in charity. Overall, support came from everywhere at that time. And the efforts have continued even this year as well.

In a recent video, Max Holloway showed how he and Dana White, along with the UFC, have partnered to build homes for those displaced by the Maui wildfires two years ago. Holloway stated in the video, “We have partnered up with Dana White and the UFC, and we gave back a lot. So, we are gonna see the cause, we’re gonna see the houses.” Later, Brian Smith, the UFC’s Director of Philanthropy and Community Impact, revealed that the project is set to help build 800 homes.

He said, “Today is the celebration of the opening of HomeMade Hawaii’s land—Home Village, the homes they built following the Maui wildfires of 2023. Thanks to Max and everything he did to raise awareness when the fire initially happened, the UFC collaborated with him to make a formal commitment. Over the past two years, he has raised money that went directly into building the homes, helping house over 800 people across two sites.”

It’s clearly an initiative that fans would appreciate. However, many have expressed disappointment at Dana White’s contribution. The UFC CEO has donated around $1.2 million, which some fans deemed too low for a project of this scale. After the video started circulating, netizens called out the multi-millionaire businessman, labeling him “cheap.”  

Fans call out Dana White for low donation in Max Holloway’s project 

A fan quickly wrote, “1.2 million pays for half a home in Hawaii,” which was further detailed by another user, “1.2 million pays for a shed in Hawaii, they have a worse housing crisis than California and NYC.” This happens to be true. According to data presented by Newsweek, Hawaii’s housing crisis is indeed more severe than in major states like California and New York.

Another fan commented, jokingly targeting Dana White, “Dana bought himself a 1.2 million house in Hawaii,” taking a sly dig at his frequent luxury home purchases and contrasting them with the charity donation. Looking at the amount, yet another user wrote, “damn dana, cheap as hell lol.”

The discussion escalated when a user added, “1.3 million when the company brings in billions is them tossing a penny,” pointing out that the UFC, despite being a multi-billion-dollar company, contributed relatively little. Another comment followed, saying, “He bets more on a blackjack hand,” referencing Dana White spending more on gambling than philanthropy.

While the UFC CEO does engage in charitable efforts, this time, fans seemed unhappy because White didn’t contribute as much as some felt he could, given his wealth. With that said, do you think the $1.2 million donation was enough, or should it have been more? Let us know in the comments below.