- "
Dana White privilege" is not real, Dana White claimed recently. - The concept was birthed last week when one fighter accused another of getting special treatment.
- "That's the first I've heard of it, and it's hilarious," White said, before denying it exists.
"Dana White privilege" is not a real thing but it is hilarious,
The basic definition of the concept is when one combat athlete appears to gain preferential treatment from White, the UFC's promoter, over another.
Lightweight fighter Tony Ferguson birthed the saying during a pre-fight event ahead of the UFC's big, fan-attended show at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
He accused the former three-time Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler of having "Dana White privilege" after Chandler was thrust into a title shot in his second bout since transferring to the UFC.
Ferguson, at the peak of his powers, enjoyed a 12-fight winning run in the UFC but never walked to the Octagon as a title challenger because of various reasons including injuries, and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
"You got this s--- handed to you," Ferguson said at the media event. "You got Dana White privilege."
Chandler seemed shocked at Ferguson's suggestion, while White laughed his head off.
On "The Jake Asman Show," White was asked about "Dana White privilege."
What is 'Dana White privilege'?
"I don't know," White told Jake Asman. "That's the first I've heard of it, and it's hilarious."
He continued: "You always have these fighters who feel, 'Oh, the company is against me, they want me to lose, they don't like me.' They're all paranoid like that.
"And I think these guys see Michael Chandler as the guy - you know, even if you look at [Charles] Oliveira, guy's been in the UFC for 11 years, and he's finally getting his title shot. Chandler is getting it this quick. Everything in life is about timing, and timing has definitely worked out for Michael Chandler."
Asman went on to ask White if the "privilege" is real
"No. I don't think it's a real thing, but I think that fighters think that it's a real thing. I think that they think that I have my favorites, and I'm assuming they think that Michael Chandler is one of my new favorites."
Chandler lost the UFC title fight to Oliveira in the UFC 262 main event - a fight which he could have won in the opening round, but failed to make his advantages at the time count.
Oliveira rebounded, in style, and scored a second-round finish in a lightweight bout for the ages.
Elsewhere on the same card, the UFC veteran Edson Barboza scored a bizarre knockout when his opponent went down six seconds after getting hit.
The American fighter Jordan Wright chased his opponent around the cage while spamming him with an array of strikes.
And the