Dana White doubles down on UFC’s $105m-a-year deal with Bud Light, insisting he doesn’t ‘give a s***’ about criticism over beer brand’s use of trans activist Dylan Mulvaney: ‘They are exactly who I want to be with’
- Dana White doesn’t care about criticizing the UFC’s deal with Bud Light
- Critics want the beer boycotted after Dylan Mulvaney was used in marketing
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Dana White has slammed critics of UFC’s $105 million-a-year sponsorship deal with Bud Light, insisting he doesn’t care about the backlash and that the beer brand is “exactly who I want to be, right?” now’.
There have been growing calls from UFC supporters to boycott the sport following the announcement of their six-year marketing partnership with brewer Anheuser-Busch last month.
They previously held the position as the best-selling beer in the US, but have since lost that ranking after teaming up with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney in April.
Bud Light has faced months of protests and consumer anger since its ill-fated partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April. The company has seen Bud Light sales decline for months.
Mulvaney shared photos of herself holding a personalized can to celebrate her one-year transition, and posing with cans of beer in a bathtub.
Dana White has hit out at critics of the UFC’s controversial $105 million deal with Bud Light
WARNING – CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE
Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney teamed up with Bud Light in April as part of their March Madness campaign and was gifted a can of light beer with her face on it, sparking outrage
The brand was accused of meddling in one of the most pressing culture war issues out there.
The partnership angered conservative drinkers who quickly boycotted the brand, but also infuriated liberals who said the company failed to respond in solidarity with Mulvaney.
However, when White spoke to Theo Von in a video on TikTok, he was convinced that Bud Light is the perfect partner for UFC.
He said, “It’s like this whole Bud Light deal. People are talking nonsense now. “Sold out” and all that damn nonsense they say. Trust me, I’m the furthest thing from having a sale.
“Bud Light is the right move for me. They are exactly who I want to be now and we are very aligned on core values.
‘I’m looking deeper than just damn ‘oh you know, they did this to whoever’. I don’t give a shit. You guys think you’re all looking for an apology, they sure as hell aren’t going to apologize to you.
“They had 2,500 influencers that day and gave everyone their own can.”
Bud Light’s investment will give the company a significant presence in the octagon
DailyMail.com reported two weeks ago that Bud Light continued to lower sales for Anheuser-Busch after the world’s largest brewer reported a double-digit decline in U.S. sales last quarter.
Their US sales fell 13.5 percent between July and September. The figure was based on sales per 100 liters, a common measure for beer sales.
In August, Modelo Especial officially triumphed over Bud Light when America’s best-selling beer and Bud Light volume fell 26.7 percent.
In a statement announcing the partnership, UFC CEO Dana White said: “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were the original beer sponsors of UFC more than fifteen years ago. I am proud to announce that we are working together again.
“There are many reasons why I chose Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, primarily because I feel like we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for.
“I look forward to all the great things we will do in the coming years.”
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have always been at the forefront of iconic sports moments that fans will remember forever, and reuniting with UFC continues this industry-leading legacy.”
More to follow.