.png)
1 year ago
53
Dana White has hit back at critics of the UFC's $105million-a-year sponsorship deal with Bud Light, insisting he doesn't 'give a s***' about the backlash and the beer brand is 'exactly who I want to be with 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 had formerly held the position as the best-selling beer in the US but have since lost that ranking after partnering with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney in April.
Bud Light has faced months of protests and consumer anger since its ill-fated partnership with Mulvaney. The company has seen Bud Light sales decline for months.
Mulvaney shared images of herself with a personalized can celebrating one year since she transitioned as well as posed with cans of the beer in a bathtub.
Dana White has hit back at critics of the UFC's controversial $105m-a-year deal with Bud Light
WARNING - CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE
Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney worked with Bud Light in April as part of their March Madness campaign and was gifted a can of the light beer with her face on it which sparked outrage
The brand was accused of meddling in one of the most hot-button culture war issues there is.
The partnership upset conservative drinkers who were quick to boycott the brand but also enraged liberals who said the company failed to respond in solidarity with Mulvaney.
However, speaking with Theo Von in a video posted to TikTok, White was adamant that Bud Light is the perfect partner for UFC.
He said: 'It's like this whole Bud Light deal. People are talking s*** now. "Sell out" and all this s*** they f***ing say. Believe me, I'm the furthest f***ing thing from a sell out.
'Bud Light is the right move for me. They are exactly who I want to be with right now and we are very aligned as far as core values go.
'I look deeper than just f***ing "oh you know, they did this can with whoever". I don't give a s***. You guys think you're all looking for an apology, they ain't going to f***ing apologise to you.
'They had 2,500 influencers that day and gave everybody their own can.'
Bud Light's investment will give the company significant presence in the octagon
DailyMail.com reported two weeks ago that Bud Light was continuing to drag down sales for Anheuser-Busch as the world's largest brewer reported a double-digit drop in US revenue last quarter.
Their revenue in the US fell by 13.5 percent between July-September. The figure was based on revenue per 100 liters, a common measure for beer sales.
In August, Modelo Especial officially triumphed over Bud Light as America's best-selling beer and Bud Light volume dropped 26.7 percent.
In a statement announcing the partnership, White said: 'Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC's original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago. I'm proud to announce we are back in business together.
'There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for.
'I'm looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.'
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said: 'Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have always been on the cutting edge of iconic sporting moments that fans remember forever, and reuniting with UFC is a continuation of this industry leading legacy.'
English (US)