UFC CEO Dana White told Time he likes “killers.” Not the literal kind, but people who move aggressively through life and business. In his own words, one businessman with a staggering net worth of $214 billion, as per the latest figures from Bloomberg, is a bigger “killer” than anyone he has ever met. That includes boxing legend Mike Tyson, NBA icon Michael Jordan, and billionaire investor Carl Icahn. So, it begs the question: Who is this “killer” that can rival such behemoths?

“One of the most impressive human beings that I’ve ever met in my life…,” White said about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “I like killers. I like Michael Jordan. I like Tyson, I like Carl Icahn, and these types of guys. And Mark Zuckerberg might be the biggest killer I’ve ever met in my life.”

While Mike Tyson, after a dominant boxing career, has a net worth of over $30 million and Michael Jordan has a staggering net worth of $4.3 billion, they both pale in comparison to Mark Zuckerberg, according to White. This might have something to do with not just his dominance in his field, but the fact that he has been able to maintain it consistently over the years despite the countless controversies surrounding him.

The Meta CEO built Facebook from the ground up. From a dorm room at Harvard to a corporation with a market cap of 1.524 trillion, Zuckerberg has done what takes most men an entire lifetime. And he is just 42 today. This should explain why Dana White sees him as more than just another tech entrepreneur.

“What I love about him is [that] the amount of money and success that he’s had, [it] has not even slowed him down a bit,” White added. “It’s just more, more what’s next, what’s next. And there’s some stuff going on in here in the UFC that I guarantee you I don’t know about right now. There [isn’t] anything that goes on in any of those businesses that he doesn’t know about. 

“Not only does he know what’s going on, he knows everybody who’s working on everything. And he’s always evaluating them and seeing if they’re taking everything to the next level. One of the most fascinating absolute killers that I have ever met in my life.”

White saying nice things about Mark Zuckerberg is because he has observed the tech billionaire from up close. Despite frequenting major UFC cards for years, their relationship moved beyond friendship and into business at the start of 2025.

Shortly after Donald Trump was elected president for a second time, Meta announced that Dana White, alongside John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst, had been elected to the company’s board of directors. The move was widely viewed as Meta’s attempt to strengthen its relationship with the Trump administration, given White’s longstanding ties with Trump.

However, according to Mark Zuckerberg, the appointments were made to bring “depth of expertise and perspective” as Meta looked to expand opportunities in AI, wearables, and the “future of human connection.” This partnership was further extended in 2025, when Meta entered the UFC space.

UFC and Meta’s growing partnership

In April 2025, UFC and Meta announced a bombastic partnership. Their aim? Deliver unprecedented engagement to fans everywhere. Through the partnership, the promotion claimed that Meta would collaborate with them to use Meta’s platforms to immerse fans more deeply in UFC content.

What’s more, Meta became the Official AI Glasses Partner of the UFC. This meant the UFC would use the glasses in creative ways at their events. He even personally gifted the latest Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to UFC stars Alex Pereira and Max Holloway. That’s not all. Meta got integrated into various UFC assets, which included brand placement in the Octagon, broadcast features, and in-arena fan experiences.

In January 2026, the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, was also officially rebranded as the Meta Apex following a landmark five-year naming rights agreement between the UFC and Meta.

Lastly, Threads became UFC’s social media partner. This means Threads would be the new hotspot for original UFC content. Dana White reflected on this growing partnership with excitement.

“I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years that have helped us grow this sport, but Mark and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UFC fans,” White said. “Meta has the greatest minds in tech, and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level.

“We’ve already started to work on some innovations with Meta around a new fighter rankings system that I’ll be sharing soon. The next few years will be an absolute game-changer for fans of this sport.”

Meanwhile, ‘Zuck’ also shared his thoughts. 

“I love this sport, and I’m looking forward to working with the UFC to let fans experience it in new ways,” Zuckerberg said.

Clearly, they both like each other and are happy in the partnership. How it goes from here, only time will tell. For now, the bond between UFC and Meta appears stronger than ever.